Add files from ibiblio as of 2025-03-03 20:45:01HEADmain

1 files changed, 10307 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/44055-0.txt b/44055-0.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b6e8e6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/44055-0.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,10307 @@
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44055 ***
+
+With Wellington in Spain
+
+
+
+
+BY CAPTAIN BRERETON
+
+
+    =Kidnapped by Moors=: A Story of Morocco. 6_s._
+    =The Hero of Panama=: A Tale of the Great Canal. 6_s._
+    =The Great Aeroplane=: A Thrilling Tale of Adventure. 6_s._
+    =A Hero of Sedan=: A Tale of the Franco-Prussian War. 6_s._
+    =How Canada was Won=: A Tale of Wolfe and Quebec. 6_s._
+    =With Wolseley to Kumasi=: The First Ashanti War. 6_s._
+    =Roger the Bold=: A Tale of the Conquest of Mexico. 6_s._
+    =A Boy of the Dominion=: A Tale of Canadian Immigration. 5_s._
+    =Under the Chinese Dragon=: A Tale of Mongolia. 5_s._
+    =Indian and Scout=: A Tale of the Gold Rush to California. 5_s._
+    =John Bargreave's Gold=: Adventure in the Caribbean. 5_s._
+    =Roughriders of the Pampas=: Ranch Life in South America. 5_s._
+    =With Roberts to Candahar=: Third Afghan War. 5_s._
+    =A Hero of Lucknow=: A Tale of the Indian Mutiny. 5_s._
+    =A Soldier of Japan=: A Tale of the Russo-Japanese War. 5_s._
+    =Tom Stapleton, the Boy Scout.= 3_s._ 6_d._
+    =Jones of the 64th=: Battles of Assaye and Laswaree. 3_s._ 6_d._
+    =With Shield and Assegai=: A Tale of the Zulu War. 3_s._ 6_d._
+    =Under the Spangled Banner=: The Spanish-American War. 3_s._ 6_d._
+    =With the Dyaks of Borneo=: A Tale of the Head Hunters. 3_s._ 6_d._
+    =A Knight of St. John=: A Tale of the Siege of Malta. 3_s._ 6_d._
+    =Foes of the Red Cockade=: The French Revolution. 3_s._ 6_d._
+    =In the King's Service=: Cromwell's Invasion of Ireland. 3_s._ 6_d._
+    =In the Grip of the Mullah=: Adventure in Somaliland. 3_s._ 6_d._
+    =With Rifle and Bayonet=: A Story of the Boer War. 3_s._ 6_d._
+    =One of the Fighting Scouts=: Guerrilla Warfare in South Africa.
+        3_s._ 6_d._
+    =The Dragon of Pekin=: A Story of the Boxer Revolt. 3_s._ 6_d._
+    =A Gallant Grenadier=: A Story of the Crimean War. 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+
+LONDON: BLACKIE & SON, LTD., 50 OLD BAILEY, E.C.
+
+
+[Illustration: TOM IS SUMMONED BY WELLINGTON]
+
+
+
+
+                     With Wellington
+                        in Spain
+
+                A Story of the Peninsula
+
+
+                           BY
+                 CAPTAIN F. S. BRERETON
+
+    Author of "The Great Airship," "Kidnapped by Moors,"
+    "A Boy of the Dominion," "The Hero of Panama," &c.
+
+
+             _ILLUSTRATED BY W. RAINEY, R.I._
+
+
+                 BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED
+                LONDON GLASGOW AND BOMBAY
+                          1914
+
+
+
+
+Contents
+
+
+     CHAP.                                   Page
+
+        I. SEPTIMUS JOHN CLIFFORD & SON         9
+
+       II. UNDERHAND CONDUCT                   25
+
+      III. ABOARD A BRITISH FRIGATE            46
+
+       IV. A NAVAL ENCOUNTER                   67
+
+        V. PRISONERS                           87
+
+       VI. NAPOLEON THE AMBITIOUS             105
+
+      VII. A TIGHT CORNER                     124
+
+     VIII. TOM CHANGES QUARTERS               143
+
+       IX. HARD PRESSED                       162
+
+        X. THE GREAT GENERAL                  185
+
+       XI. ON ACTIVE SERVICE                  202
+
+      XII. GUARDING THE BY-WAYS               222
+
+     XIII. CIUDAD RODRIGO                     240
+
+      XIV. ONE OF THE FORLORN HOPE            263
+
+       XV. ROUND ABOUT BADAJOZ                281
+
+      XVI. THE BATTLE OF SALAMANCA            302
+
+     XVII. A CLUE AT LAST                     321
+
+    XVIII. THE CONSPIRATORS' DEN              337
+
+      XIX. TOM THINKS FURIOUSLY               354
+
+       XX. A BRILLIANT CAPTURE                371
+
+
+
+
+Illustrations
+
+
+                                                            Page
+
+    TOM IS SUMMONED BY WELLINGTON        _Frontispiece_      300
+
+    "CRASH! WENT THE BROADSIDE"                               72
+
+    THE PEASANTS BREAK IN THE CHURCH DOORS                   112
+
+    "GRIPPING ONE OF THE LADDERS DRAGGED IT ASIDE WITH
+    ALL HIS FORCE"                                           169
+
+    "TO HIS AMAZEMENT THE MAN CLUTCHED HIM BY THE HAND"      225
+
+    TOM ESCAPES FROM CIUDAD RODRIGO                          258
+
+    A CLEVER DISGUISE                                        324
+
+    THE FAT MAN THREATENS TOM                                345
+
+
+
+
+WITH WELLINGTON IN SPAIN
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+Septimus John Clifford & Son
+
+
+No cooler spot could be imagined on the hottest midsummer day than
+the picturesque forecourt of the premises occupied by Septimus John
+Clifford & Son, wine merchants, importers and exporters.
+
+Behind the forecourt, crowding the latter closely towards the edge of
+the River Thames, some few hundred yards below the point where the
+stream swept and swirled through the arches of the bridge, stretched
+an irregular block of buildings, that portion farthest from the court
+presenting a somewhat severe frontage to the river, its many floors,
+its narrow windows, and its winches and hoists dangling outside
+serving to show that it was there that Septimus John Clifford & Son
+stored their goods from oversea. Huge doors leading by wide, shallow
+steps to the basement hinted that it was through these easy portals
+that the wines of France, of Spain, and of Portugal found access to
+the vast vaults stretching away behind the muddy bank of the river.
+
+The forecourt and its immediate background bore a very different
+appearance, for the garden, encompassed by moss-grown walls, was
+ablaze with flowers, while one huge mulberry tree reared its foliage
+before the main entrance of the building, its leaves rustling against
+the curious old dormer windows and strangely shaped balconies
+which adorned the front. Beneath the grateful shade cast by that
+mulberry tree lay Septimus John Clifford himself, at full length
+in a capacious basketwork chair, oblivious of his surroundings,
+careless even of the persistent flies that hovered about the gaudy
+silk handkerchief with which he had covered his head. Mr. Septimus
+was asleep. Clerks in the busy office within the huge bay window, not
+five yards from him, turned the leaves of musty ledgers with pathetic
+care lest they should awake the ruler of this establishment. The
+office boy, an urchin with round, rosy cheeks, swelled to the point
+of bursting, gathered up his feet upon the staves of his chair when
+the head clerk admonished him for shuffling them, and cast an anxious
+eye out through the wide-open window. Marlow, the clerk nearest to
+that sleeping form, almost held his breath; for he was apt to grunt
+and expand his lungs with a hiss that was exasperating.
+
+"One hour, I think," observed Huggins, a white-haired clerk, who
+seemed to be the head of the office, consulting a silver watch which
+was as large as a good-sized turnip. "One hour precisely, I make it."
+
+"And four minutes," ventured his assistant, a thin, lanky man,
+white-haired like his comrade. "It is time to wake him."
+
+"Yes, now; he would not forgive delay."
+
+Huggins rose silently from the high stool on which he was seated and
+crossed to the door on tiptoe. He descended the picturesque steps
+leading from the main entrance to the place with as much care as
+he would have employed had he been stepping over hot bricks, and
+advanced to the side of his master, as if determined to leave him
+asleep till the very last possible moment. For that was the spirit
+which pervaded the establishment of Septimus John Clifford & Son. A
+good master was served by loyal and grateful clerks, of whom none
+were more loyal and thoughtful than Huggins, the stout, clean-shaven,
+white-haired man who had spent thirty years of his peaceful life in
+the office.
+
+"Hem! Three o'clock," said Huggins, coming to a standstill and
+casting his eyes first at the sleeping form of his master, then at
+the waving foliage of the mulberry tree, and later out across the
+river to the southern shore, then almost devoid of houses. For we
+do not speak of London in this year of grace 1913, but of London in
+1810, a city of huge proportions even then, but small and puny when
+compared with the mass of buildings which now stretch far and wide.
+Smoke stacks and chimneys belching forth huge billows of dark cloud
+were not then such a feature of the giant capital. Green fields
+and waving trees came close up to the opposite bank of the Thames,
+while the few houses there were, the open country, and the stretch
+of shimmering water, with its quaint river craft, made a picture
+that was fascinating. From the shade and shelter of the forecourt
+the view was perfectly enchanting, and for a little while held all
+Huggins's attention, even though he looked out upon it every day of
+his life. Then he hemmed again, and gently touched the sleeve of the
+sleeper. Mr. Septimus stirred, then, hearing a cough beside him, sat
+up briskly, drew the handkerchief from his head, and, folding it with
+care, placed it in his pocket.
+
+"Three o'clock, sir," said Huggins.
+
+"No more?" asked Mr. Septimus.
+
+"Five minutes past."
+
+"Four," declared Mr. Septimus, consulting his own watch--one, too, of
+vast proportions. "The post has come?"
+
+Huggins nodded.
+
+"From Spain?"
+
+"There are four letters."
+
+"And from Portugal?" asked Mr. Septimus eagerly.
+
+"One only."
+
+"Drat the war!" cried Mr. Septimus, sitting forward with energy.
+"First this Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, disturbs all trade by
+pouring his soldiers into the Peninsula, and then he keeps up the
+disturbance by refusing to agree that he's beaten. He's beaten, ain't
+he, Huggins?"
+
+"If not quite, then nearly, sir," came the respectful answer. "But
+they say that Wellington has cleared Portugal of the French. Stocks
+of wines are coming through more freely."
+
+The reminder seemed to hearten the master of this establishment;
+his face assumed a cheerful expression. Not that it had appeared
+seamed with care before, for Septimus was the personification of good
+humour. He was a short, stout little man, bald headed and slightly
+bandy legged. Round, inquisitive goggles sat on a broad nose that
+spoke of good temper. A white muffler and stock, together with an
+even whiter waistcoat, covered a frame which may be described as
+decidedly ample, while shapely legs--shapely even though prone
+to bandiness--were clad in snuff-coloured overalls, which fitted
+like the proverbial glove, and set off a figure that was decidedly
+attractive and gentlemanly.
+
+He stretched out a hand and took the letters which his clerk had
+brought for him. Then, selecting the one from Portugal, he opened it
+with the blade of his penknife.
+
+"From Dom Juan de Esteros," he said, extracting the sheet within the
+envelope. "Ha! That is good news. The tide of war turns to Spain, and
+wines are accumulating at Oporto. That is good, Huggins. Our clients
+will be glad to hear that we can soon replenish their cellars.
+Business will look up."
+
+Huggins nodded, while his sallow features reddened a trifle; for
+what concerned the house of Septimus John Clifford & Son concerned
+him, not from the pecuniary point of view, seeing that he was paid a
+steady salary whether business were good or bad, but because of his
+sympathetic interest in the firm.
+
+"We can do with it, sir," he said. "Things have been a little slow
+in the office. There has been little work after three o'clock. The
+clerks have been inclined to become sleepy."
+
+"And no wonder," responded Septimus, looking up with a laugh. "Like
+master, like man, Huggins. Can't blame 'em for sleeping after dinner
+if I do. It's a bad habit, Huggins, a bad habit. All the same, I
+believe it helps one wonderfully. Couldn't get through these hot
+days if it weren't for the forty winks I snatch. But let's see.
+Dom Juan--ah! he thinks the time has come for us to have a direct
+representative in Oporto. Talks of indifferent health caused by the
+anxieties of the war. Asks us to send someone."
+
+"Ahem! Yes, sir," came from Huggins suggestively.
+
+"To send someone," repeated Septimus. "A representative, Huggins. Eh?"
+
+"Master Tom," came promptly from the clerk. "And son, sir--Clifford &
+Son."
+
+He laid special emphasis on the last two words, causing Mr. Septimus
+to look up at him and discover the old servant's face glowing. As for
+the owner of this successful business of wine merchants, we can only
+say that he, too, looked enthusiastic.
+
+"And son--yes, Huggins," he said. "How long is it since there was a
+son?"
+
+"Seventeen years three months and two days, sir," was the answer.
+"Master Tom's age exactly."
+
+"To the minute almost," laughed Septimus. "He's the one; he shall
+represent the firm at Oporto."
+
+By the interest and attention these two gave to the affair one would
+have imagined that it was an entirely novel subject of discussion,
+whereas, to be precise, this quaint pair had long since settled
+the matter. For the "& Son" had become a feature of the business.
+Two centuries earlier Clifford & Son had first hung their trade
+sign outside those same premises, only in those days the house was
+exceedingly small and unpretentious. Still, there had been a son
+in the business, and thereafter, as the years passed, a succession
+of sons, while Septimus John had become, as it were, part of the
+stock-in-trade of this old house which boasted of the "& Son" always
+attached to it. However, in latter days, there had come a time when
+that old boast had almost failed them, for Mr. Septimus had succeeded
+his father at the age of thirty, exactly and precisely one day
+after the birth of his own boy. It was this same infant, christened
+Septimus John Esteros Thomas Clifford, who was now under discussion.
+
+"You'll send him, of course, sir," exclaimed Huggins.
+
+"Of course. He'd have gone two years ago if it hadn't been for the
+war. Drat the war, Huggins!" cried Septimus peevishly. "It has upset
+all my plans and ruined business. Here's Master Tom kicking his heels
+about the place and attempting to learn Spanish and Portuguese,
+when he should be in Oporto learning the languages simply because
+he couldn't help doing so, and at the same time attending to the
+business. I did that. I went out when I was sixteen, and came home
+for good at thirty. The son in this firm has been wanting ever since,
+for always the father has managed here in London, while the son has
+worked the business in Oporto. Tom shall go, and quickly too; I'll
+see him. What's that?"
+
+Both heads were raised promptly, while Mr. Septimus and his clerk
+remained in their respective attitudes listening intently. From the
+room behind the wide bay window where the office staff worked there
+came not so much as a sound. Doubtless the white-haired junior clerk
+and his helpers still pored over their ledgers, while the fat office
+boy still sat with his legs curled around the supports of his stool.
+But from a room overhead there came the sound of strife. A girl's
+voice was heard, then came that of some young fellow, piercing and
+high pitched and querulous. The noise of a blow followed, a dull,
+heavy sound, which gave one the impression that a fist had descended
+on someone's jaw. A thud telling of a tumble came to the ears of the
+listeners almost immediately afterwards.
+
+Mr. Septimus rose to his feet with agility and gathered up his
+letters. There was a severe look on his face as he made towards the
+steps leading into the house.
+
+"Those two quarrelling," he said over his shoulder.
+
+"Then it isn't Master Tom's doing," declared Huggins, with decision.
+"That Master José's always at him. He's sly, he is; he's jealous of
+his cousin."
+
+"Then it'll be a good thing when they're separated. Ah! There again!"
+cried Mr. Septimus, as the sound of other blows came to his ears,
+as well as a scream of rage. "I'll go to them; this conduct is
+disgraceful!"
+
+He bounded up the steps at a speed that would have surprised those
+who did not know him; for, as we have explained, the head of the firm
+of wine merchants was distinctly stout, and his appearance belied
+all suggestion of activity. But Septimus could move quickly when he
+liked, while his business hours were characterized by bustle. He
+stepped hurriedly across the hall and went up the wide oak staircase
+two steps at a time. He was panting just a little when he reached the
+door of the apartment wherein the scuffle was taking place and threw
+it wide open. And there he stood for a little time, breathing deeply,
+regarding the people in the room with wide-open eyes, which seemed to
+fill the whole area of his spectacles and take in everything.
+
+"Stop this instantly!" he commanded, seeing two lads struggling
+together in the far corner. "I have never seen anything more
+disgraceful."
+
+The scene before him might well have drawn such words from the lips
+of the head of such a decorous firm as Septimus John Clifford & Son;
+for the room was in confusion. A heavy desk, occupying the centre,
+that would have been upset but for its weight, had been jerked out of
+position and now stood at an angle. A chair lay on its back, while
+an inkpot of large dimensions lay against the near wall with a wide
+puddle of ink about it, and the panelled wall itself was splashed in
+all directions with the same dark fluid. A young girl some sixteen
+years of age gripped one side of the desk, and stood there watching
+the contest with staring eyes that were decidedly frightened. Two
+lads occupied the centre of the picture, and as Septimus entered
+they were locked together in a firm embrace, each one endeavouring
+to belabour the other. But at the voice of command they broke away,
+one of them, a youth of medium height, promptly turning from his
+antagonist toward the door. The movement was the signal for the other
+to strike out swiftly, sending his fist crashing against the other's
+head, and following the cowardly movement by a kick which cut the
+feet of his opponent from beneath him, and brought the lad with a
+thud to the floor.
+
+"That was a coward's blow!" declared Septimus hotly, advancing into
+the room; "the kick was contemptible. Stand away in that corner,
+José. I will thrash you severely if you attempt another movement."
+
+He closed the door quietly behind him, placed a seat at the desk so
+that he could see all three within the room, then slowly wiped and
+adjusted his glasses.
+
+"Please explain," he began icily, when finally his glasses were
+adjusted. "I left you here at two o'clock. You had work sufficient to
+last you till the evening. What is the meaning of this disgraceful
+interruption? You, Tom, answer."
+
+He looked closely at each of the lads in turn, and then fixed his
+eyes upon the one who had been struck in such a cowardly manner by
+the other. In doing so Septimus Clifford looked upon the counterpart
+of himself. For before him was the son who was of so much importance
+to the house of Clifford, the son who was to represent the firm in
+Oporto--the one, in fact, whom the reader will already have observed
+was particularly favoured by Huggins. Tom was of middle height, as
+we have remarked, well built and solidly put together. In spite of
+his ruffled hair and his flushed face there was something undoubtedly
+attractive about the young fellow, so much so that Septimus could not
+fail but note it.
+
+"Looks me square in the face and eye," he muttered beneath his
+breath. "That's the way with the Cliffords. Knows he's probably in
+for a licking, and yet don't funk it. He's ready to receive what he's
+earned, and ain't going to lie to lessen the punishment. Well?" he
+asked severely, for Septimus was not the one to show favour.
+
+But Tom made no answer. He stood squarely facing his father, his
+character clearly shown upon a face that was decidedly pleasing if
+not exactly handsome.
+
+"Well?" demanded Septimus again, more curtly if anything.
+
+"Ask him, sir," came the reply, while Tom jerked his head at the lad
+over in the far corner where Septimus had ordered him.
+
+"Then you," exclaimed the stout little man, turning to the second
+youth, he who had delivered the cowardly blow and kick. "What have
+you to answer?"
+
+"He started it," came abruptly from the one questioned. "Tom called
+me names and struck me."
+
+"Ah!" exclaimed Septimus, regarding the youth coldly, till the latter
+reddened beneath his scrutiny. "He started it, José, you say. Why?"
+
+The youth addressed reddened even more at the question, while his
+eyes shifted from the face of his interrogator to Tom's, and then
+across to the girl's. Contrasting the two young fellows, Tom and
+José, one could not compliment the latter; for he seemed to be the
+very opposite of Tom. A year his senior, perhaps, he was lanky and
+lean, while his arms and legs and body seemed to writhe and twist as
+his eyes shifted from corner to corner. The chin disclosed weakness
+of character and want of firmness, to which thin lips and watery
+eyes added nothing. In short, José was anything but attractive.
+
+"Why did Tom start this quarrel?" asked Septimus relentlessly, his
+glasses turned on José all the while.
+
+"I don't know," came the surly answer. "He's always quarrelling."
+
+"Then you began the matter?" said Septimus, turning upon Tom the same
+close scrutiny. "Why?"
+
+"He didn't!" came abruptly from the girl, who was standing a few
+paces from him. "José is not telling the truth. Even though he is my
+brother, I can't remain quiet and know that he is blaming Tom for
+what is really his own fault."
+
+José's eyes gleamed as his sister spoke. His brows were knit together
+and his thin lips pursed, as is the case with one in anger. At that
+moment this unattractive youth looked as if he would willingly have
+struck his own sister.
+
+"She favours him," he cried angrily. "She's always on his side."
+
+"Silence!" commanded Septimus sternly. "Now, Marguerite, tell me
+about it."
+
+"He started to tease me," declared the girl, nodding towards her
+brother. "He splashed the letter I was writing with ink, and then
+threw some over my needlework. Tom asked him to stop, and then called
+him a bully. José threw the inkpot at him promptly."
+
+"Ah!" came from the man seated in the centre. "And then?"
+
+"Tom knocked him down twice; then they began to struggle together."
+
+"It's a lie!" shouted José, beside himself with rage, his pale lips
+trembling.
+
+"Eh?" asked Tom curtly, advancing a pace towards him, and looking
+threatening.
+
+"Stop!" ordered Septimus, lifting a hand. "By rights I ought to leave
+you two to settle the matter between you. I have no fears as to what
+the result would be; for a man or youth who accuses his sister of
+lying deserves a thrashing, while you, José, deserve it twice over.
+You have lied yourself, and I myself saw you deliver a cowardly blow.
+You will remain here and go on with your work; Tom will come below
+with me. For the future try to be friendly to one another, at least
+till you are parted."
+
+"Parted?" asked Tom curiously, while a scowl showed on José's face.
+
+"Yes, parted," repeated Septimus. "The time has come for you to go to
+Oporto, Tom, there to act as representative of this business."
+
+José's face was a study as he listened to the words and saw the
+pride and enthusiasm with which Tom was so obviously filled. Even
+Marguerite was regarding her cousin as if he were a hero, and,
+indeed, that was the light in which she was wont to look at him. For
+ever since he was a little fellow Tom had been Marguerite's special
+protector, and often and often had he saved her from her brother's
+ill treatment. José was, in fact, a bully. Sneaking and mean by
+nature, he was the very opposite of his sister, and ever since the
+two had been brought to the house he had been jealous of his cousin
+Tom. That was the secret of their ill feeling from the beginning.
+Provided José treated Marguerite fairly, Tom was prepared to live
+on good terms with him. But always José regarded Tom as a fortunate
+rival, as his future master; for was not Tom the son attached to the
+firm? And now to hear that he was to go to Oporto, there to rule
+the roast, filled José with envy and hatred. He could see Tom his
+own master, with clerks to do his bidding, while he, José, the less
+fortunate, was slaving at a humble desk in England. It roused his ire
+when he recollected that were there no Tom he himself would fill his
+place, and would one day be the head of the firm of Septimus John
+Clifford & Son.
+
+The scowl on José's face had deepened as Septimus spoke. Tom's happy
+features incensed him to the point of bursting. A moment or so later,
+when the door had closed between him and the other three, and while
+their steps still resounded in the passage, José gave full vent to
+his hatred and anger. He pranced up and down the room. He glared out
+through the window as Tom appeared, and if looks could have killed,
+that young fellow would have ceased to exist forthwith. Then José
+flung himself petulantly on to a chair, buried his face in his hands,
+and remained in that position for some few minutes, his restless
+limbs writhing and twitching meanwhile.
+
+Suddenly, however, he sat up and stared hard at the wall opposite.
+
+"Why not?" he asked himself, as if apropos of nothing, while a
+cunning leer bent his lips. "If there were no Tom, José would go to
+Oporto. And who would carry out the work more fittingly? Tom shall
+not go there. I swear that I will prevent him."
+
+He was poring over a book half an hour later when Septimus entered
+the room again with the intention of having a serious conversation
+with him, and to all appearances José was a different individual. He
+was sorry for the anger he had shown, sorry that he had insulted his
+sister, and eager to be friendly with everyone. But, then, José was a
+crafty individual. That night as he lay in bed within ten feet of our
+hero he was concocting plans whereby to defeat the aims of Septimus,
+and bring about the downfall of Tom, his cousin.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+Underhand Conduct
+
+
+Brisk action was a characteristic of Mr. Septimus Clifford, though
+his portly frame gave one the impression that he might very well
+be a sluggard. However, the bustle in those offices and warehouses
+beside the river, the numerous clerks poring over ledgers and papers,
+and the hands at work in the vaults amidst the huge butts of wine
+told a tale there was no mistaking. Order and method pervaded the
+establishment, and the master of the business was the creator of that
+order and method. As we have said, too, he was a man of action.
+
+"I'll send Tom off this day two weeks," he told the respectful
+Huggins on the evening of that very day on which our hero was
+introduced. "That will put a stop to all fighting, and no doubt
+separation will wipe out old enmities, and in time to come the two,
+Tom and José, will be capital friends. There's a boat sailing on
+Friday fortnight."
+
+"The _Mary Anne_," agreed Huggins. "Takes hardware from us, consigned
+to the supply department of Wellington's army. There'll be no
+difficulty in obtaining a passage."
+
+"Then make all arrangements, please," said Mr. Septimus briskly.
+"I'll have a chat with the lad, and tell him what we expect of him.
+Send him to me."
+
+The interview between father and son took place beneath the mulberry,
+in the quaint and picturesque garden before the house in which the
+firm transacted business, and there, seated in his basket chair,
+Septimus discussed affairs with Tom.
+
+"You'll make every effort to improve and perfect your Portuguese and
+Spanish," he said, "and your French will be of the utmost use; for
+once the Peninsula War is ended, and the French are driven out, it
+will be one of your duties to arrange for wines to come from their
+country. Of course, at Oporto you will place yourself in the hands
+of your uncle, Dom Juan de Esteros, and will learn the business from
+him. Put your back into it, boy, for Dom Juan will, I fear, not be
+long with us. His health, always indifferent, has been much broken
+by the anxieties of the past few years. And now you'd best get your
+things together. Take a good stock of clothing, and perhaps a good
+pistol is advisable, seeing that the country of Portugal is still in
+a condition of disorder."
+
+It may be imagined that the following two weeks were filled with
+moments of interest for our hero. He was going abroad for the first
+time in his life. He was about to make a start in the world, and that
+world at this moment looked exceedingly rosy, so rosy that Tom's face
+shone, his eyes flashed, he carried himself jauntily, and one and all
+could see that he was full of good spirits to overflowing, and was
+eagerly awaiting the voyage.
+
+"That Master José'd give his boots to be in his place," reflected
+Huggins one afternoon, as Tom went racing across the flower-decked
+courtyard, and Marguerite after him. "It was a bad day, Emmott, for
+this house when Mr. Septimus took him in and gave him a home. Not
+that I say that of the young lady. She's different; she's like Master
+Tom. We all love her."
+
+"And dislike the brother--yes," agreed the junior clerk; "and I too
+have a feeling that Master José bodes no good to his cousin. See his
+face--he's watching the two going off down the river."
+
+José was, in fact, lounging in the forecourt, one hand resting on
+the boundary wall, while his lean, lanky body and thin limbs twisted
+and writhed, as if to keep still were with him an impossibility. But
+it was not those twisting limbs that repelled the two old clerks
+watching him from the window--it was José's face. The brows were
+drawn close together, the lips were half-parted, while there was an
+intense look in the eyes which there was no fathoming.
+
+"Bodes his cousin no good," Emmott ventured in low tones. "There's
+no love lost between 'em. Not that Master Tom isn't ready to be
+friendly. He is; for he's one of the easygoing sort. Still, he's a
+stickler for what's proper, and he's stood by Miss Marguerite as if
+he were her own brother. That José's scowling."
+
+The lanky youth was actually doing that. No one could doubt the fact;
+but nevertheless it was impossible to read the thoughts passing
+through his brain. Could they have done so, both Huggins and Emmott
+would have found ample reason for their feelings of uneasiness. For
+José was scheming. Jealous of his cousin, as we have said already,
+he had been envious of Tom almost from the day when Mr. Septimus had
+brought his orphaned nephew and niece to his house. The children of
+Mr. Septimus's sister, José and Marguerite, had been born in Oporto,
+and had had the misfortune to lose first their mother and then their
+father, brother of Dom Juan de Esteros. Thereafter they had lived
+with Mr. Septimus as if they were his own children. And here was
+José scheming to wreck his cousin's chances in the world, whereas
+gratitude towards his Uncle Septimus should have made of him a fast
+friend, and one ready to help Tom to the utmost.
+
+"Going to Oporto, there to lord it over the office," he was muttering
+between his teeth, as he watched Tom and Marguerite departing along
+the river bank. "That leaves me here to slave over musty ledgers and
+to learn the business from that old slowcoach Huggins. Suppose I'll
+always be a clerk. One of these days Tom will come back as master,
+and then he'll order me about."
+
+It was a petty, childish manner in which to look at the matter, and
+showed the narrow-minded view which José took of life. Contrary from
+his cradle almost, he was mean in thought and act, and here was one
+of his mean thoughts muttered beneath his breath, while his scowling
+eyes followed the retreating figure of his cousin. José writhed his
+way back into the house, and appeared again with a cap. Huggins,
+watching from the office, saw him go away along the bank of the river
+after the retreating figures of the other two.
+
+"He's not up to any good, I'd lay," he told his fellow clerk, the
+white-haired Emmott. "What's he following for, I'd like to know."
+
+"Then let me go after him?" asked the other. "There's a message to be
+taken along to the people who should have delivered goods to us this
+morning, and I may just as well take it as George, the office boy."
+
+The matter was arranged on the instant, and within five minutes
+Emmott sauntered away in the wake of José. He followed him at a
+discreet distance along the river bank, till José dived in amongst a
+number of houses which clambered down to the water's edge. He caught
+sight of him again beyond them, and half an hour later watched him in
+converse with a ruffianly looking fellow whom he had accosted.
+
+"Don't know the man," Emmott told himself. "Never saw him in my life
+before, so far as I am aware. José seems to know him. He's--he's
+giving him money."
+
+Half-hidden behind the wall surrounding a warehouse, one of the
+many erected there--for this was a busy part of the city, and huge
+barges found deep water when the tide was up, and could load right
+alongside the bank--Emmott watched as José passed something to the
+hand of the man he was conversing with. The latter, a huge fellow,
+dressed somewhat like a seaman, and bearded, might have been a sailor
+from one of the many ships lying in the river, or he might have been
+employed at one of the warehouses. He touched his forehead as José
+put something into his hand, while the lad himself looked craftily
+about him to make sure that no one was watching.
+
+"What's he paying him for, that's what I'd like to know," Emmott
+asked himself. "He's up to no good; but how can one say that his talk
+with that rascal and the giving of money has anything to do with
+Master Tom? Mr. Septimus would laugh at the very idea, and tell us to
+mind our own business; but I for one shall keep my eyes on this José."
+
+If the clerk imagined that he was thereby to catch José out in some
+underhand act he was very much mistaken, for the young fellow was as
+crafty as he was clever. More than that, though in his heart he hated
+Tom, he was wise enough to know that scowls and bad temper would not
+help him. From that very moment, indeed, he put on a smile whenever
+Tom came near, was urbane and friendly with all, and appeared to be
+genuinely sorry that his cousin was about to leave them.
+
+"How'd you like to be a soldier, Tom?" he asked his cousin two
+evenings later, when our hero's preparations for departure were
+almost complete. "They're embarking troops this afternoon down the
+river, all bound for Wellington's army."
+
+It was information which was bound to tempt the light-hearted Tom.
+For years, indeed, he had longed to be a soldier, and even now, when
+his prospects with the firm of Septimus John Clifford & Son were so
+apparently good, the old longing still assailed him. But if he could
+not be a soldier in fact, Tom could vastly enjoy the sight of troops
+embarking. He leaped at the opportunity, and that very afternoon saw
+him making his way down the bank to the spot, some two miles distant,
+where a sloop lay off in the river. Boats were passing to and from
+her when Tom arrived upon the scene, and for two hours at least he
+watched party on party of men embark, while his eyes feasted on
+others drawn up in stiff lines on the bank. The bright uniforms, the
+bustle, and the rattle of accoutrements and drums fascinated him. His
+eyes were wide open with envy as he noticed that two at least of the
+ensigns were no older than himself.
+
+"And no stronger either," he told himself. "I'm as tall as they are,
+and though they repeat orders splendidly, and don't seem afraid to
+make their voices heard, I reckon I could do the same. What luck if
+the French drove the English back and got as far as Oporto. Then I'd
+see some of the fun. There's been terrific fighting in the Peninsula,
+and folks say that there will be a heap more. Ah, there goes the
+colonel's horse aboard! I never saw a horse embarked in my life
+before."
+
+Company after company of men descended to the boats and took their
+places. Tom's eyes followed with almost childish eagerness the figure
+of another youthful ensign. He was envious of his scarlet uniform, of
+his belts and sword, and of the gaudy headdress he was wearing.
+
+"If only I were a soldier," he sighed. "I'd enjoy a few years'
+marching and fighting, and then settle down to the business. Ugh! An
+office stool hardly compares with the life those fellows are leading."
+
+He forgot the hardships inseparable from a soldier's life. Tom failed
+to remember the reports he had read of the terrible plight of our men
+and officers in the Peninsula. He knew nothing of wounds, terrible
+wounds often enough, of disease which swept whole companies away,
+or sent them back home helpless and useless for the reminder of
+their lives. He saw only the glamour of a soldier's lot, the gallant
+uniforms, the jolly comrades, the bustle and movement of the life.
+So entranced was he, in fact, that he could have remained there
+for hours an interested and envious spectator. But the evening was
+drawing in, while only one company remained to be embarked. With a
+sigh, therefore, Tom turned about and began to retrace his steps
+along the bank in the direction of the premises of Septimus John
+Clifford & Son.
+
+"I'm a fool to let the wish to be a soldier upset my keenness for
+office work," he reflected after a while. "There are lots of chaps
+who would give their eyes for the opportunities I have. Yes, I'm a
+fool. I must settle to the thing I've got, and--all the same I hope
+there'll be some fighting round about Oporto."
+
+"Hello, my sport!" he suddenly heard, as he was passing down a narrow
+street between two of the many warehouses in that district. "Just
+hold hard, and give us a pipe of 'bacca."
+
+A huge individual came rolling towards him out of the darkness of a
+passage cutting into the street, and was followed by a second man,
+smaller than the first, but, if anything, more forbidding. Not that
+Tom could see them clearly, for it was very dark in that narrow
+street, the walls and roofs of the warehouses shutting the place in
+completely.
+
+"Hold hard, shipmate," the big man exclaimed again, rolling forward.
+"A fill o' 'bacca ain't too much to ask from a man that follows the
+sea."
+
+He was close beside Tom by then, while his shorter companion was
+immediately behind him. Even in that dark place one could see enough
+of the couple to feel sure that they were anything but desirable, and
+for a moment Tom considered the advisability of taking to his heels.
+But then, reflecting that here in the neighbourhood of the docks and
+quays there must be many seamen ashore on leave, and all perhaps
+hilarious, he turned to the strangers and answered them pleasantly:
+
+"Sorry I can't oblige," he said. "I haven't started smoking yet."
+
+"What, my lively! ain't started smokin' yet?" came from the bigger
+man. "Strike me, Bob, but here's a lubber as don't even chew, let
+alone take hold of a pipe!"
+
+There came a giggle from the smaller man, who sidled forward, and
+coming from behind his companion, edged up to Tom's side.
+
+"Don't smoke nor chew," he giggled in a queerly deep, gruff voice.
+"Most like he's a young gent that has got out o' nights without his
+mother knowing."
+
+He dropped a parcel which he was carrying beneath one arm, and then
+stooped at once to pick it up. A moment later he had sprung up behind
+Tom, and with a quick movement had swung his parcel above our hero's
+head. What followed took the young fellow so utterly by surprise that
+he was completely dumbfounded; for a sack was drawn down over his
+head and shoulders, and long before he could lift his arms the bigger
+man had flung a coil of rope around him, pinning Tom's arms to his
+side. But still he could fight, and, seized with desperation and with
+anger, Tom lurched this way and that, kicking out in all directions,
+hustling his captors from side to side till what appeared to them at
+first a game began to annoy them. The bigger man clenched a huge fist
+and drove hard at the centre of the sack with it.
+
+"That's silenced him and made him quit foolin'," he grunted brutally,
+for Tom dropped instantly and lay inert on the ground. "Jest get a
+lift on to his toes, Bob; I'll take his head. We'll have him in
+chokey afore he's shook the stars out of his eyes."
+
+Without the smallest show of haste the two ruffians picked up
+their burden and went off down the narrow alley leading from the
+street. There was no need for them to fear interference, for police
+hardly existed in those days, while respectable individuals did not
+patronize the neighbourhood of the docks once night had fallen.
+Business men, living as they did in the early years of the nineteenth
+century above their premises, sat in the candlelight behind their
+shutters once evening had come, and if they ventured forth at all,
+took some sort of guard with them. It followed, therefore, that no
+one even observed the two men strolling away with their burden. Even
+had they been seen, the observer would in all likelihood have hurried
+away in the opposite direction, for drunken sailors were inclined to
+be more than rough. Robbery was not by any means unknown, while even
+murder was now and again committed in the slums adjacent to the river.
+
+In less than ten minutes from the moment when Tom had been so hardly
+treated the two men came to a halt at a low doorway, the bigger of
+the two beating upon it heavily.
+
+"Open!" he shouted, as if there were no need for concealment, and he
+had no reason to fear being overheard. "Open quick, or Sam here'll
+want to know the reason why there's delay."
+
+"Comin'," ejaculated his small companion in that same strangely deep
+and wheezing voice, a voice which by rights should have belonged to
+a man of double his proportions. "I can hear the lass a-comin', Sam.
+Here she is. This is one more to add to the boys we're collecting."
+
+At that moment, while the little man was in the act of stuffing some
+hard black cuttings of tobacco into a short pipe, the door of the
+house they had come to was opened noiselessly, and there appeared
+a frowsy-headed woman bearing a smoking oil lamp. She stood aside
+without a word and waited for the two men to carry in their burden.
+The door closed, and the procession passed through a passage into
+a large room, just within the doorway of which sat a man as big as
+he who had been called Sam, armed with pistol and cutlass. Half a
+dozen other men were in the place, breathing an atmosphere that was
+almost stifling. A dangling lamp shed a feeble light on every hand,
+while in one corner stood a bottle, in the neck of which was secured
+a lighted candle, with the aid of which another armed individual was
+laboriously spelling out the print on a piece of torn newspaper.
+
+"What ho!" he cried, looking up, and disclosing a countenance which
+was distinctly brutal. A towsled head of hair, which would appear
+to have been innocent of receiving any attention for a long while,
+covered forehead and ears and neck, and was inseparably joined to a
+pair of side whiskers that might have been combed a year before. One
+cheek was deeply seamed by a long, straggling scar, while the eye
+above was covered by a patch of black material.
+
+"What ho!" he cried again, leering at the newcomers, and drawing his
+clay from between his teeth. "You've had luck to-night. I can see as
+you've nobbled the one as you was after."
+
+"And gets double pay," growled the man who sat at the door with
+cutlass and pistol in his lap. "Pay from them as has need for lads
+aboard, and pay from t'others as wants to get rid of a friend. You've
+bagged the sum from the covey, Sam?"
+
+Sam made no answer for the moment, but got rid of his burden by
+the simple and easy method of dropping Tom's person heavily on the
+floor. Standing over him, he proceeded to fill his pipe, and, having
+completed the task to his liking, stretched across, snatched the
+bottle in which the candle was fixed, and sucked the flame into the
+bowl of his pipe. Then his eyes went slowly round the room, and,
+passing the wretch at the door and the one against the far wall, he
+let them fall upon the six individuals who also tenanted the room. He
+counted them carefully, and then jerked his head in the direction of
+our hero.
+
+"Pull the sack off, Bob," he said, "and jest you two keep yer tongues
+close in between yer teeth--hear that, Jem, and you too, Sandy? Tight
+in between yer teeth. This here business has to be conducted with
+caution and discretion; and if we does trade with others besides the
+folks that pays for the men, why there ain't no need to cry it out
+for everyone to hear--eh?"
+
+The last exclamation was almost in the nature of a threat. Evidently
+the individual with the patch over one eye, who boasted of the
+towsled head of hair and the unkempt whiskers, was known as Sandy,
+and Sam's words, and the scowl he directed at the man, had the
+instant effect of causing him once more to busy himself with his
+reading. The other, the man who sat fully armed at the door, and was
+known as Jem, coloured under his tan, looked as fierce as Sam for a
+moment, and then laughed uproariously.
+
+"You do work yourself up, Sam," he laughed. "Who's there here to let
+on what business we do? These?" pointing at the six other inmates
+of the room. "Not much, me hearty. They'll be aboard come midnight,
+and to-morrow they'll be that sick they'll have forgotten you and me
+and everything almost. But you've drawn the stuff; been paid by that
+young spark as hired you to work it?"
+
+Sam answered him with a snort and with a violent shake of his head.
+
+"Presently," he said, meanwhile watching as the rascal Bob removed
+the sack from Tom's head. "All in good time. The young nobleman's
+coming here to make sure as there's no mistake, and once the lad
+there's aboard, the rest of it'll be paid. But it won't end there."
+
+"Eh?" asked Jem quickly, while Sandy and Bob looked up keenly,
+avarice and rascality written on their faces. "Don't end there,"
+said Jem; "how's that?"
+
+"Blood money ain't all we gets," lisped Sam, allowing a cruel smile
+to cross his face. "I'll tell you why. I know the young spark as got
+us to work this business. Well, when this lad's gone aboard, and is
+away, I'll be axing for more of his gold. Supposing he can't pay,
+then----"
+
+A hideous grin wrinkled Sandy's face, throwing into greater
+prominence the scar that seamed it. Bob dragged the sack from
+Tom's head and then turned to smile at his leader. Jem brought a
+massive fist down with a bang on the table, and once more burst into
+uproarious laughter. It was obvious, in fact, to each one of these
+rascals that Sam had at hand a ready means with which to force more
+money from the man who had bribed him to capture our hero. Let us put
+the matter clearly. José had met the ruffian Sam some time before,
+and had discovered him to be one of those infamous crimps who earned
+a rich living by snatching men from their employment ashore and
+passing them over to ships' captains. The impressment of men in those
+days was not illegal, and since crews were often enough hard to come
+by, and these rascally crimps were more or less a necessary evil,
+they flourished unmolested, and many a poor lad was suddenly torn
+from his home to be smuggled aboard ship, and never heard of again
+by his own people. Also many a private grudge was wiped out in this
+manner. Tom was not the first youth by a great many who had been
+suddenly spirited away at the bidding of, and with the aid of gold
+paid by, a relative.
+
+As for the others in the room, they were prisoners like Tom. Four
+were young men of twenty-two or three, while the others were almost
+middle-aged, and undoubtedly sailors. These two sat at the table,
+smoking heavily and helping themselves to spirits contained in a
+square jar set upon it. The other men sat despondently upon a form,
+eyeing their captors resentfully, and yet in a manner which showed
+clearly that all the fight was knocked out of them. Like the two at
+the table they were becoming resigned to the position, and no doubt
+would settle down in time and become good seamen.
+
+"Just throw a pail of water over his head," Sam ordered, pointing
+the stem of his pipe at Tom, who lay senseless where they had
+dropped him, his face pale in the feeble light of the lamp, his hair
+dishevelled, while a thin trickle of blood oozed from the corner of
+his mouth. "Then pull his duds off and let him have a suit that'll
+do for him aboard. Ah! He's coming round. Trust Sam to strike a blow
+that won't do no harm and spoil trade for him. Sit him up, Bob, and
+when he's feeling more hisself, give him a go of spirits and a smoke."
+
+The whole affair was a horrible exhibition of the brutality and the
+lawlessness of those times--times even now designated by some as
+the good ones. The ruffians who plied this human traffic were as
+utterly devoid of feeling as they well could be, and looked upon
+each one of their captures, not as a fellow being, but as so much
+value in gold, silver, and pence, so much profit in their business.
+It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that Tom's forlorn appearance
+had no effect upon them. The heartless and rascally Bob procured a
+pail of water and tossed the contents over him, drenching the lad
+from head to foot. He shook him violently, and when our hero feebly
+opened his eyes, the wretch placed a pannikin of strong spirits to
+his lips, dragged his head backwards--for he had placed his captive
+in a sitting posture, his back resting against a form--and roughly
+poured the contents into his mouth. The effect was magical. Tom sat
+forward with a gasp, spluttering and choking. The colour rushed to
+his cheeks, and in a twinkling he seemed to gather his wits and his
+memory together. How he got into that room, who the people were, he
+had no idea. But Bob's grinning face was within his reach, and he
+was undoubtedly the rascal who had dealt with him so roughly but a
+few seconds before. In any case Tom waited for no explanation. He
+launched himself at Bob, struck him heavily with his fist, and then
+closed with him.
+
+"The young tiger," growled Sam, stretching out a huge hand and
+catching him firmly by the shoulder. "Blest if he isn't the boy to
+fight them Frenchies. Avast there, me hearty! Bob ain't used to
+violent assaults."
+
+Bob evidently was not accustomed to hard knocks himself, though he
+might often enough have cause to give them to others while plying his
+nauseous trade. In any case he was furious, and but for Sam, once the
+latter had torn Tom away from him, the smaller man would have vented
+his wrath by striking his almost fainting prisoner in the face.
+
+"Avast there!" shouted Sam, keeping him off. "Ain't I axed you to
+bring him round quick, seeing as how the pressgang'll be along in a
+winking? Ain't we got to change his duds, and you there trying to
+make things wuss? Get off for the togs! Sandy, jest mix another go o'
+grog. It'll pull him round lively. Jem, I leaves him in your charge
+while I goes into the other room to do a little business."
+
+Let the reader imagine a pale-faced and frightened youth cringing in
+the squalid den to which the rascal Sam made his way. There, beneath
+the same smoky lamp which the woman had borne to the door, sat José,
+writhing this way and that, his limbs never at rest for a moment,
+his fingers twining, his eyes shifting to every quarter, his lips
+twisting this way and that. José would have run from his own shadow
+on that occasion. The enormity of the crime he was perpetrating
+had frightened him intensely. Not that he thought of Tom; he was
+considering himself entirely. What if the whole foul scheme were
+discovered? What if Septimus were to learn of his action?
+
+"Ho!" shouted Sam, bursting in upon him. "Come to see as all's well?"
+
+José could not answer; his knees positively shook beneath him, while
+his bloodless lips would not frame the words he wished to utter. He
+lifted squirming, trembling fingers to his lips and mouthed at Sam.
+And then, with a huge effort, he managed to blurt out a few words.
+
+"You--you've done it?" he asked.
+
+"In chokey nice enough, master. Jest come along and take a squint at
+him. If he's the bird--and I don't doubt it--why, the trick's done,
+the money's earned, or mighty near it."
+
+He led the trembling youth to the door of the other room, now closed
+upon the poor fellows placed there, and sliding a shutter to one side
+bade José look in.
+
+"Eh?" he growled in his ear. "The right bird? No mistake, my hearty?"
+
+Yes, there was Tom, pale and worn and sorrowful-looking, and more
+than a little dazed if the truth be spoken. José recognized him at
+once, and in place of feeling compassion for his cousin let all
+the old feelings of envy and resentment have full sway. The eyes
+looking through the shutter scowled at poor Tom. José's pallid cheeks
+suddenly reddened at the thought of an approaching triumph. He backed
+away, stepped into the smaller room again, and sat down with a
+swagger.
+
+"He goes to-night?" he asked, with an attempt at firmness.
+
+"To-night! Almost this blessed minute."
+
+"And all his things are taken from him--clothes, letters, and
+anything likely to let others identify him?"
+
+"Everything, on my davy!" came the answer.
+
+"Then here is the money--take it."
+
+José handed over twenty sovereigns, and as if the act had sealed his
+guilt promptly began to tremble and writhe again. It was with a grin
+of triumph that Sam saw him off the doorstep.
+
+"You'll take more golden coins from the same till as you took that
+from," he gurgled, chinking the money in his pocket. "It ain't hard
+to read that you stole it. Well, Sam'll have his eyes on you, and ef
+you don't like to hand out the cash, why, he's always got a way by
+which he'll make you."
+
+An hour later there was the tramp of many feet in the street outside,
+and a hoarse command was given. By then Tom was feeling more himself,
+and indeed was disposed to show fight at any moment. But he was one
+against many, and in spite of protests had been compelled to change
+his clothing. Now the door was thrown open, and a dozen seamen
+marched in, each armed with a cutlass. The impressed men were placed
+in the centre of their guard, and were marched off down the river.
+A little later they embarked in a big cutter, a sail was hoisted,
+and presently they were bowling down stream at a pace which soon
+left the neighbourhood of London Bridge behind it, and with it the
+good-hearted Septimus, together with the sneaking nephew who had this
+very night done him such a mischief.
+
+In the early hours Tom was hustled up the high side of a huge vessel,
+and was as promptly driven down a steep flight of steps into a dark
+hole, almost as noisome and unpleasant as the one in which Sam and
+his gang had first received him. The rattle of ropes and blocks upon
+the deck reached his ears, and soon the vessel rolled and heaved
+uneasily. They were off, leaving behind them some few distracted
+people; for Tom's sudden disappearance caused a commotion. He had
+disappeared as completely as if the earth had covered him. Nor was
+that his father's only loss; the cash drawer in his private office
+had been rifled, and some twenty-five pounds were missing.
+
+"Master Tom steal! Never!" exclaimed Huggins, when all the facts were
+before him.
+
+Mr. Septimus, as may be imagined, was heartbroken. When days had gone
+by, and more than a week had passed without even a word from our
+hero, the head of the house of Septimus John Clifford & Son became
+despondent.
+
+"Dead!" he almost blubbered, as Huggins stood before him in the
+forecourt.
+
+"Not a bit, sir," came the brisk answer. "Alive and kicking. Emmott
+and I have been looking into the matter. Master Tom's at sea; it
+won't be long before we hear from him."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+Aboard a British Frigate
+
+
+"Below there! You can come along up on deck, me hearties!"
+
+An age seemed to have passed since Tom and his six companions were
+driven from the deck of the big ship to which they had been brought
+by the pressgang, and though the former had slept for many hours--for
+he had been exhausted after such a trying experience--yet the few
+hours he had been awake had dragged on leaden wheels. Meanwhile
+the rattle of blocks and ropes overhead had been replaced by the
+gentle surge of water alongside, and by a thousand strange groanings
+and squeakings common to all sailing vessels. Indeed, placed where
+he was, with his head close to the foot of one of the masts, that
+penetrated the deck of the ship and passed through the dark prison in
+which he and his comrades were confined, Tom could by the vibrations
+and the groanings of the latter tell exactly when the wind freshened
+and the sails dragged more strongly. But now, when he had begun to
+imagine that he would never again see the light of day, there was a
+banging overhead, then a square of light appeared, with faces framed
+in it, while a hoarse voice bellowed a command. Tom rose briskly to
+his feet, and, seeing the ladder, ran up it.
+
+"Here!" he reported, standing erect and cheerful. For Tom was, in
+his youthful way, quite a philosopher. "What can't be cured must
+be endured," was one of his maxims. "I'm impressed, by some error
+I suppose, and soon will be able to get the matter set right; but
+for the moment it's just as well to appear pleasant. Here, sir!" he
+reported to a short, stumpy individual with a decided flavour of the
+sea about him, and with a nautical appearance that would have passed
+him as a sailor in any port in the world.
+
+"And ready fer duty too, eh, me hearty?" asked this bluff fellow,
+eyeing him critically, and taking Tom's measure very thoroughly.
+Looking back at him our hero could not help but see that this sailor
+had a grim expression. His face appeared to say: "Well, now, you
+can work if you like. If you don't you'll be hammered." There was a
+threat in his eyes, and a jaunty manner about him which told that he
+was prepared for the most refractory conduct.
+
+"Ready fer duty, eh?" he repeated gruffly.
+
+"Yes, sir," responded Tom promptly.
+
+"Then jest you don't sir me, young feller-me-lad, else I'll think
+you're saucing. But I like yer looks--get up on deck with you. Mr.
+Riley, above there," he hailed, throwing his head back and staring
+up through an open hatch, "here's a lubber as is willing and ready
+fer duty!"
+
+Tom caught a glimpse of an individual dressed in white breeches and
+stockings, and a blue tail coat with some gilt braid about it, and,
+realizing that this must be an officer, promptly mounted the steps.
+In a moment or two he was on deck, standing beneath an expanse of
+white canvas, and upon boards which were as white as any tablecloth.
+Bluejackets were moving barefoot about the deck, while right aft an
+officer stood at the rail of the poop, a speaking-trumpet in one
+hand, his eye fixed on a dozen active figures scrambling amongst the
+rigging. Tom gave a gasp of pleasure as the sun's rays fell upon
+him, braced himself erect, and then looked the officer in the face.
+He was a young man of twenty-six, perhaps, with clean-shaven, keen
+features, his skin tanned brown by exposure, and the corners of his
+eyes wrinkled and puckered as is the case with many sailors. For the
+rest, Mr. Riley was decidedly a pleasant, jovial-looking officer, and
+won Tom's confidence at once.
+
+"Well, my lad?" he asked pleasantly.
+
+"Ready for duty, sir," reported Tom again, having nothing better to
+say. "And hungry, sir," he added, feeling a decided sinking sensation.
+
+That brought a smile to the lips of the officer. He looked our hero
+up and down, just as the man down below had done, and then smiled
+again.
+
+"What trade before you joined?" he asked, referring to a notebook,
+and producing a pencil with which to take notes.
+
+"None, sir; I am the son of Mr. Septimus John Clifford, of London
+Bridge, wine merchant. My impressment must be a mistake."
+
+"All impressments are mistakes," came the curt answer. "You are ready
+to serve His Majesty?"
+
+"Yes, sir," answered Tom. "Ready for the moment. Later on, when I
+am able to prove that a mistake has been made, no doubt I shall be
+released. I'm ready for any duty, only I'd like a feed first."
+
+"No trade; says he is the son of a wine merchant at London Bridge.
+Obviously a gentleman," Mr. Riley entered in his notebook. "A likely
+fellow, and cheerful. Will start duty at once, and willingly. Pass
+the call there for the master messman."
+
+He stood before Tom, his neat figure swaying as the ship lurched here
+and there, his eyes now fixed on the swelling canvas, now on the
+officer at the rail, and often, when Tom's attention was attracted
+elsewhere, at that young fellow himself.
+
+"Undoubtedly a gentleman," he told himself. "Of course in the case of
+nearly every man who is impressed there is a complaint that the thing
+is a mistake, that he ought never to have been impressed. In any case
+the whole thing is disgraceful. Better pay and better conditions
+would attract the right stamp of man to the navy. But we're here to
+carry out regulations, not to frame them. I'll keep my eye on the
+lad. Name again?" he asked, making Tom jump.
+
+"Tom Clifford."
+
+"That the full name?" asked the officer, beginning to make another
+note.
+
+"Septimus John Esteros Thomas Clifford," responded our hero, with a
+grimace. "Rather a lot of 'em, sir, I'm afraid."
+
+"Enough even for an admiral," laughed the officer. "Ah, here's the
+messman! Waters, just take this young fellow with you and see that he
+gets a good meal. Report here to me, Clifford, when you have eaten."
+
+He swung round to stare down into the depths of the ship, for sounds
+were coming from the prison in which Tom and his companions had
+been confined. There was the noise of a scuffle, while a glance
+below showed the burly, stumpy salt who had hailed the impressed men
+swarming down into the depths. Some of the men were, in fact, loath
+to come up. Unlike Tom, they were disposed to be sulky, and, lest
+trouble should follow, three sailors were swarming down after the old
+salt, one bearing a lantern.
+
+"Below there!" called out Mr. Riley, anxious to avoid a struggle.
+"You men must understand that you have been impressed into His
+Majesty's Navy, and any disobedience of orders now, or violence, will
+be treated as mutiny. Send them up, me lad!"
+
+The lamp shining upon the face of the old salt who had led the way
+below, and the fierce expression he wore quelled any thought of
+mutiny there may have been, and within five minutes the other six men
+brought aboard with Tom were ranged on the deck, pale and dishevelled
+for the most part, sulky and anything but cheerful in appearance. Mr.
+Riley gave them the same searching examination that he had bestowed
+on Tom, and then entered their names and notes concerning each one in
+his book.
+
+"Take them down to the messman and see that they have a good meal,"
+he commanded, when he had finished. "They'll feel better when they've
+had it; and, mind this, my lads, a sulky face'll do nothing for you
+aboard this frigate. It'll bring kicks and cuffs and short rations;
+so look at the matter from the right point of view and take to the
+life cheerfully."
+
+He dispatched them with a pleasant smile, for this Mr. Riley was a
+kind individual, and one well accustomed to dealing with men. He
+had the wisdom to see that hunger may produce easily enough a fit
+of sulkiness, and seeing that all the impressed men must be in want
+of a meal, and were undoubtedly sulky, he sent them off for that
+meal, hoping that with appetites satiated they would take to their
+duties with the same readiness as our hero had shown. Nor was he
+disappointed. When, half an hour later, the six men ascended to the
+deck again, they looked far happier, and from that moment fell into
+the ways of the ship with a cheerfulness that was commendable. As for
+Tom, he was up before them, and scrambling over the deck as best he
+could--for the breeze had freshened, and the big frigate was jumping
+about in a lively manner--he drew himself up before the officer.
+
+"Ready, sir!" he said, repeating the old expression.
+
+"Feel seasick?" came the interrogation.
+
+"Not a bit, sir. I've been to sea a few times with my father. We used
+to hire a sloop and cruise along the coast in summertime."
+
+"Then you're used to getting aloft?"
+
+"A little, sir, but only aboard a sloop. These masts are terrific."
+
+He cast his eyes aloft, and the officer likewise. There could be no
+doubt that the masts did tower to a great height. But then this was
+a large frigate, with seventy grinning guns behind her closed ports.
+Tom knew that already, for the messman who had conducted him below,
+and who was decidedly a pleasant, kindly individual, had given him
+much information. The meal, too, had been partaken of on the lower
+deck, where the space between it and that above was so cramped that
+even Tom could not stand upright, while all along the sides, firmly
+cabled to ring-bolts in the deck, were grinning cannon, sponge rods
+and all the paraphernalia necessary for loading being hung on racks
+close to them, and secured there firmly.
+
+"You'd go aloft without feeling squeamish then?" asked Mr. Riley,
+feeling a strange interest in our hero.
+
+"I'd go, sir," came the ready answer. "Whether I'd exactly like it at
+first is an altogether different matter."
+
+"Then you'll soon have the opportunity of making the test. You'll be
+in my watch, Clifford. Now come along up on the poop. Don't forget to
+touch your cap as you come up; ah, wait though! We'll put you into
+proper sailor rig first; I'll send you down to be fitted."
+
+It was perhaps half an hour later when a smart-looking young sailor
+obeyed the call of the boatswain and came aft to the poop. Dressed in
+his new clothing, his hair brushed and his face and hands washed, Tom
+looked a really smart young fellow, and Mr. Riley smiled his approval
+when he saw him.
+
+"Pass him up, boatswain," he called, and at the order the burly
+individual shouted at our hero.
+
+"Mind yer touch yer cap as you get above," he warned him, "just as
+Mr. Riley had done." And, obedient to the order, Tom raised his hand
+the moment his foot touched the poop or quarterdeck of the frigate.
+
+"Come with me, Clifford," said Mr. Riley, leading the way. "I'm
+taking you to the commander. Fair-play is a thing a sailor prizes,
+and, as you complain that there has been some mistake about your
+impressment, I reported the same to the commander. He will question
+you himself."
+
+They passed across a snow-white deck and entered a gallery, outside
+which an armed sentry was stationed. The officer tapped at a door,
+and passed in, followed by our hero. Tom found himself in a large
+cabin, at the back of which two guns were situated, roped and
+secured to deck rings as were those others he had seen in the 'tween
+decks. An officer, dressed just like Mr. Riley, but evidently older,
+sat at a table, with charts spread out before him. He looked up as
+the two entered, and then went on writing.
+
+"One of the new men, sir; impressed two nights ago; reports that he
+was taken in error. You have the notes of his case before you."
+
+Once more Tom found himself being inspected with that open gaze which
+is the right of all officers. He returned the glance of his commander
+respectfully and firmly.
+
+"Age?" asked the officer jerkily.
+
+"Nearly eighteen, sir.
+
+"Tell me all about yourself, lad," came from the commander, and with
+such kindness that Tom promptly responded. He gave the history of
+the family in a few words, and stated how he was about to sail for
+Oporto, there to learn the business of the firm and take charge when
+proficient.
+
+"Ah! Anyone with a grudge against you?" was asked quickly.
+
+Tom wondered and racked his brains. He could think of no one, unless
+it could be the grocer's young man, who was wont to pass along the
+river bank every morning. Exactly two months before he had had an
+altercation with that young fellow, who stood a trifle higher than
+he did, and was at least a year older. He had shown rudeness when
+passing Marguerite, and Tom had resented the rudeness. The fight
+that followed had been of the fiercest, and the grocer's apprentice
+had been handsomely beaten.
+
+"No one, sir," he answered, "unless it could be the fellow I had a
+row with some weeks ago," and then explained the occurrence.
+
+"Pooh! Impossible," declared the commander. "Lads who get fighting
+don't bear ill will. The letting of a little blood cures a young chap
+of that entirely. You shook hands?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Good. Then look elsewhere; someone perhaps was jealous of you,
+thought you were a nuisance. Who were the other members of the firm
+and the family?"
+
+Tom told him, wondering all the while whether there were one amongst
+them capable of getting him impressed so as to remove him. "José?" he
+asked himself. "Impossible! He'd never be guilty of such ingratitude
+to father, though I suppose, if I were out of the way, he would
+succeed to the business one of these fine days."
+
+Little by little the commander ferreted such thoughts out of our
+hero, and ended by placing his finger on the name of José.
+
+"Your cousin, you said," he exclaimed. "You were always good friends?"
+
+Tom had to reply in the negative, and give the reasons.
+
+"And he was next in succession to yourself, I think?"
+
+"Yes, sir. But--but it's impossible! My father rescued him and his
+sister from poverty."
+
+"Nothing is impossible, my lad. This matter must be looked into.
+There seems no doubt that you have been impressed in the hope of
+removing you altogether. Or the matter may have been a mistake,
+helped by the fact that you were in those parts at a time when you
+should have been safely at home. For the moment you are in the
+service of His Majesty, and although I could order that you be given
+no duty, I've an idea that that would hardly meet with your wishes?"
+
+"I'd rather work, sir," responded Tom eagerly. "I like ship life,
+and the experience may be useful. If only you will give me the
+opportunity of writing home, I will willingly act as one of the hands
+aboard, and work in that way till I am released."
+
+"That's the spirit, my lad," exclaimed the commander. "He's in your
+watch, Mr. Riley, and I know you'll look after him. As to writing,
+you can do that; Mr. Riley shall see to it. I also will write to your
+father and to the authorities. We shall fall in with a boat homeward
+bound shortly, and in a week perhaps your people will know what has
+become of you. There, my lad, I like your spirit."
+
+The commander shook hands with our hero, an uncommon honour, and then
+sent him off with Mr. Riley. And that very night Tom sat down in the
+latter's cabin to write his letter, telling his father exactly what
+had happened.
+
+Next morning, early daylight, the first streak of dawn in fact, found
+him on deck, his feet naked, a deck brush in his hand. He joined the
+gang of men engaged in washing down, and, if the truth be known,
+thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Meanwhile the fine frigate was
+pressing along under easy sail, a fresh wind abeam, ploughing her way
+through a sunlit sea that might have belonged to the Mediterranean.
+
+"We're jest cruising on and off watching for a Frenchie, me lad,"
+explained one of his messmates, a jovial old salt who had seen many
+an action at sea. "There's never no saying when a Frenchie may turn
+up, and then we're bound to be at 'em. But they ain't so frequent
+nowadays as they was. Yer see, Spain and Portugal being joined to
+France, the French has simply to slip over the mountains, and that's
+how they're sendin' men in to fill the ranks of their armies. Queer
+thing, ain't it, that Boney should want them countries for his own?
+He's always a-grabbin'. The earth won't find lands enough for him
+by the way he's going on. But he'll get beaten handsome some day. I
+ain't so sure as we won't do it for him. Know all about this here
+campaign in the Peninsula, as Spain and Portugal's called?"
+
+Tom modestly admitted that he knew something about the fighting.
+"It's a long business," he said. "Boney put his own brother on the
+throne of Spain, and of course the Spaniards wouldn't have him. At
+the same time he had taken Portugal for himself. He's been the
+terror of Europe these many years, and as he aims at subjugating
+England also, why, we gladly agreed to go in and help the Portuguese
+and Spaniards. As for the fighting, there's been such a heap of it
+that it is quite bewildering."
+
+"Aye, and it's easy to see as you're a gent as has been used to
+better things than the lower deck," said the salt. "What're you here
+for? Grabbin' something that wasn't yourn?"
+
+He put out a hand to touch Tom's sleeve the instant after, for he saw
+him flush with indignation. "I'm sorry, lad," he said. "It's plain as
+it wasn't that."
+
+However, the lower deck in those days was not peopled entirely by
+kindly disposed individuals. Bluff and hearty and plucky men there
+were in abundance, if their language was not always refined or their
+habits too particular. But then, as now perhaps, the coming of a
+young fellow of Tom's stamp amidst a rather rough crowd was apt to
+draw attention to him, attention not always of the most pleasing. And
+it so happened that there was one in the mess to which Tom had been
+posted who seemed to resent his coming. Higgins was a bull-necked,
+squint-eyed young fellow of some twenty years, and had been sent from
+a prison to the navy, as had many another. He was possessed of a
+thin, mean face, over which dangled one long forelock. For the rest,
+it may be stated that he was accustomed as a general rule to say very
+little, having discovered himself unpopular amongst the men; though,
+to be sure, whenever there did happen to arrive aboard the ship a
+youngster smaller than himself, Higgins was the first to attempt to
+bully him. For some reason he had taken a violent dislike to Tom.
+Possibly he was jealous of the attention he had gained, or of the way
+in which he came to good terms with the men. Whatever the cause, he
+was determined to browbeat him, and took this, the first opportunity.
+
+"I dunno as you ain't right, Jim," he sang out coarsely, the instant
+the other had spoken. "Why shouldn't he be here for grabbin'? There's
+lots comes to the navy on that account, and why shouldn't he? I'll
+lay he has, too."
+
+"Then you're mistaken," said Tom firmly. "I was impressed; every fool
+knows that."
+
+"Oh, every fool knows it, do they?" was the sharp answer. "You ain't
+calling me a fool?"
+
+"Jest you put a stopper on yer tongue and belay," sang out the salt,
+seeing all the elements of a quarrel in this discussion, and noticing
+Tom's flushed cheeks, and the rising anger of Higgins. "'Sides, I
+ain't Jim to you, me lad, and don't you ferget it. I'll take a rope's
+end to you afore you're a minute older if you ain't careful."
+
+But Higgins had allowed his temper to rise to the point where it was
+uncontrollable. He had expected Tom to accept his remarks meekly, as
+became a new hand, and, finding he had not done so, was determined
+to pick a quarrel with him. There are always such cantankerous
+individuals in the world, and it was Tom's fortune to hit up against
+this one. He, too, was roused, for he resented the man's impertinence.
+
+"I'll back as he's a jail bird," declared Higgins, thinking that by
+making a firm stand in this altercation he would stimulate his own
+popularity amongst the men. "He's a gent that's took the money out of
+the till and then been collared. The easiest way to cover the thing
+was to hand him over to a crimp. That's how he's here--I know him."
+
+He had probably never set eyes on our hero before, and had he done so
+would not have dared to address him in such a manner. But Tom was one
+of the deck hands, one of themselves, and, moreover, a newly-joined
+recruit, too often destined for a time to be the butt of his fellows.
+Higgins counted on his giving way at once. Most recruits are
+awe-stricken at first by the strangeness of their surroundings, and
+perhaps by the roughness of their companions. Besides, bullying airs
+and ways, backed most probably by other individuals, are apt to cause
+a young fellow to choose the easier path and swallow his displeasure.
+However, Tom was one of the obstinate sort. Fighting was nothing new
+to him, and to show his readiness for a contest, and the fact that he
+was by no means afraid of an encounter, he promptly began hostilities
+by pitching the contents of a jug of water over Higgins.
+
+"I'll ask you to understand that when I say a thing I mean it, and
+that I tell a lie for no one," he said, rising from his seat and
+undoing the neckerchief which he, like the others, wore about him.
+"I don't know what the rules are aboard a king's ship; but this I do
+know, I allow no man to suggest that I am a thief or a liar. Take
+back what you've said or I'll trounce you."
+
+There was a commotion in the 'tween decks by now. Men crowded about
+the long narrow tables stretching from the side of the ship towards
+the centre, and which was one of many. Like the rest, too, it was
+constructed to lift up to the deck above and be attached there,
+leaving the decks free for movement. Jim had meanwhile risen to his
+feet, and now held his hand high for silence.
+
+"Mates," he said, "there's trouble brewin' here. This new mate of
+ours is a good 'un, and I'll not allow him to be stamped on. Higgins
+here has just now called him a thief and a liar, and the young spark
+has drenched him with water. If Higgins don't come down handsome with
+a 'pology there's only one thing left."
+
+"A set to, and right it'll be," burst in another of the men, one of
+the seniors. "Fightin' don't do no great harm, and it's necessary
+when one mate calls another names that tastes nasty. You, Higgins,
+admit you called him a liar and a thief?"
+
+"Of course," came the coarse answer. "I'm goin' ter thrash him."
+
+"You are, are you?" came the grim reply from the old salt, while he
+sized up the two young fellows swiftly, craning his head to one side
+as if he were a bird. "I dunno so much; the new mate looks as if he
+could use his hands lively. You ain't goin' to 'pologize?"
+
+"Not likely! I'll hammer him till he'll be glad to admit that what
+I've said's as true as gospel."
+
+If he imagined that Tom would keep him waiting he was much mistaken,
+for that young fellow had already rolled his sleeves to the elbow.
+Indeed, as we have intimated, he was no novice. Not that he was by
+nature quarrelsome; but those were rough days, and like many another
+boy Tom had need now and again to defend his honour. He stood away
+from the table, waiting while it and two or three next to it were
+swung out of the way. Then, bending low so that his head would not
+hit the deck above, he stepped to the centre of the circle which the
+men immediately formed.
+
+"Any sort of rules?" he asked coolly. "Anyone keepin' time?"
+
+"Go as you please, mate," came Jim's answer. "A sailor don't ax fer
+breathing time if he comes up alongside a Frenchie, and you don't
+have no call for it either. It's the same fer both, and as fair and
+square as may be. But it'll have to be straight work. We stops the
+fight if there's foul hitting."
+
+A fight in the 'tween decks was no unusual occurrence in those
+days, and was a source of some interest to the men of the navy.
+Hard fellows without an exception, they had been brought up in a
+stern school which taught that a man must look to himself alone for
+protection. But they could recognize spirit, and Tom took their fancy
+wonderfully.
+
+"He's game, he is," declared one of the men, as he doubled his arms
+and pressed forward to watch the contest. "And he ain't no weakling.
+You can see as he's not used to haulin' and suchlike, and ain't been
+a tar over long. But I like his figure-head. It's clean and well-cut,
+and he's a beam on him that carries weight, and'll lend strength to
+a blow when he gets one home. He ain't no new 'un at the game, I'll
+stake my Davy. That boy has been grappled on to a job like this many
+a time."
+
+The ten minutes which followed proved that Tom was something also
+of a scientist; for he played with his antagonist. It was clear, in
+fact, after five minutes that he would be the victor, though at first
+he had some ugly rushes to stop and some hard hitting to protect
+himself from. But science and generally good condition told, and
+while at the end of some ten minutes, during which the two broke away
+now and again to pant and glare at one another, only to begin once
+more at the shouts of the crew, Higgins was almost in a condition of
+exhaustion, Tom was still comparatively fresh. He stopped a furious
+and last attempt on the part of Higgins to rush him up against the
+side of the ship, and then, darting forward, struck the man full in
+the mouth, sending him sprawling.
+
+Higgins lay for a minute without movement, and then his hand went
+back towards the knife which, sailor-like, he carried attached to his
+belt and well behind him.
+
+"Drop that!" shouted Jim. "Now, Higgins, you as was a-goin' ter whack
+this young shaver, say as you 'pologize for callin' him names."
+
+For a second there was defiance on what was still recognizable as
+that young man's face. Then he nodded his head in assent. Tom at once
+went towards him, his hand outstretched.
+
+"Shake hands, and let's be friends," he said. "I dare say you didn't
+understand how I'd take what you said. But where I come from a man
+fights and fights again when another calls him thief or liar. There,
+shake hands and let's be friends in the future."
+
+There was a cheer at that, while the men gathered round our hero,
+patting him on the back with such heartiness that his remaining
+breath was almost driven from his body. Some of the more enthusiastic
+even began to chair him, and had carried him as far as the deck
+ladder, when the sudden shrill piping of whistles and the appearance
+of an officer put a stop to the movement. It was Mr. Riley, a long
+glass beneath one arm, his other hand on the rail of the ladder.
+
+"My lads," he began, about to give an order, and then, suddenly
+catching sight of Tom, ceased abruptly. Casting his eye over the
+heads of the men, he soon picked out the somewhat miserable figure of
+Higgins.
+
+"Ah," he said, "a fight! My lads, strictly against orders. But I've
+news for you--we've rounded up a Frenchman. Clear these decks."
+
+He was gone in a twinkling, his coat tails swinging behind him. But
+as he turned he contrived to smile at our hero.
+
+"Licked that young man Higgins. That's good," he was saying as he
+raced up the ladder. "Young Clifford has courage. Wonder how he'll
+behave when shot and cannon balls come crashing amongst us; he's just
+the boy for this service."
+
+When Tom had washed his face and had clambered to the deck he saw a
+large vessel some four miles away, bearing up towards the frigate,
+while a smaller one sailed behind her.
+
+"Ship o' the line, mate," said Jim, who was leader of the squad of
+men of whom our hero was one, who had the working of one gun. "It'll
+be tough business, and ef she wasn't so big I doubt as she'd sail up
+so cocky towards us. But we'll give her what for; we're fair death on
+Frenchies."
+
+A magnificent sight the Frenchman made as the distance between the
+two vessels decreased. Tom peeped at her through the wide-open port
+and admired the enormous spread of white above her, the seething foam
+at her forefoot, and the gleam of her broad decks that came into view
+now and again as the ship heaved to the swell of the ocean. Then
+a spout of white smoke burst from her fo'castle; a flash severed
+it in twain and was followed after a distinct interval by a dull
+reverberating report. The shot reached its mark almost at the same
+moment. There was a crash within ten feet of Tom. The side of the
+vessel at that point burst inward in a hundred splinters, and the
+iron messenger struck the very next gun to his, slithered and crashed
+across the 'tween decks, and finally brought up short against the
+opposite side. It roused a cheer of excitement from the crew.
+
+"That's shootin'!" cried Jim. "She's the sort for our money. In a
+jiffy we'll be layin' into her. Just take a sight along the gun, Tom,
+and larn now how to pitch a ball into a Frenchie."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+A Naval Encounter
+
+
+In the ordinary way the immediate prospect of an encounter at sea
+might be expected to rouse qualms in the breast of a novice, and we
+cannot affirm that Tom would have been any exception to the rule
+on this his first meeting aboard an English frigate with a French
+man-of-war. But there was so much else to attract his attention.
+Even in those days the wooden walls of our stout ships contained
+sufficient to interest even a dullard, and to a lad of active brain,
+as was our hero, there were things to watch and marvel at, while the
+men themselves grouped in the 'tween decks were quite a study. They
+stood about their guns stripped to the waist, joking and merry, the
+master of each gun with his eye on the sights. Close at hand a lad
+sat on a long narrow tub filled to the brim with powder.
+
+"Powder monkeys we call 'em," said Jim in a hoarse whisper. "The
+young villains! They're always up to some sort o' mischief, and when
+it comes to fighting, blest if they wouldn't take on the whole of
+Boney's fleet alone. They ain't the lads to squeak. If we fetch up
+alongside the Frenchman, and there's a call for boarding parties,
+them imps is amongst the first to answer."
+
+"Stand ready!" the order came at this moment, and turning his head
+Tom caught a glimpse of Mr. Riley, still with a long glass beneath
+his arm, his sword belted to his side, and his shapely form bent so
+as to allow him to peer through one of the ports. "Stand ready, men,"
+he shouted. "Gun layers train your sights on the enemy and aim low.
+Between wind and water is the mark, lads!"
+
+The crew of the guns answered him with a cheer, and for a while gun
+layers stretched over the weapons they commanded, sighting for the
+enemy. Tom watched as Jim squinted along the sights, and then peered
+out at the French ship of the line. She was bowling along before a
+fresh breeze, heeling well over, so that half her deck showed. He
+could see a mass of men on it, and others running to and fro, while
+quite a number were clambering into the rigging.
+
+"Shows she means to come right up close," said Jim in his gruff
+way. "That'll suit us nicely. Hammer and tongs is the best sort of
+fighting for us boys, and we don't get it too often. She's going to
+run right in and when there's a broadside it'll be a close one, and
+thunder won't be in it."
+
+"Stand by to fire!" was heard through the 'tween decks, while an
+instant later there came a roar from the deck above, a trembling
+and shaking of the whole vessel which all could feel, and then the
+rumble of wheels as the guns were run in, sponged out and reloaded.
+By now the enemy had disappeared from sight behind a huge cloud of
+smoke, which, however, was whisked away swiftly by the breeze. It
+was a minute later, perhaps, when the French battleship was again
+visible, that Mr. Riley gave the order to fire, and Tom was witness
+of the result for the first time in his life. Jim touched the vent of
+the gun with his portfire, and instantly a squirt of flame and smoke
+shot upward. There was a huge commotion in the gun itself. Though
+braced into position by numerous cables it started backward, drawing
+them as tight as iron bars, while the wheels thudded heavily on their
+runners. The commotion was accompanied by that of every other gun on
+that deck in the broadside, while the ship herself shook from end
+to end. The roar of the discharge was indescribable, and deafened
+him, while the 'tween decks was instantly filled with volumes of
+sulphurous smoke.
+
+"Slack off! Haul her back, boys!" came in stentorian notes from Jim.
+"Run her in quick. Now with the sponge rods, and we'll have a second
+charge into her before the smoke's cleared."
+
+Five minutes later Mr. Riley's voice was heard. "Stand by for another
+broadside," he bellowed. "Double shot your guns next time--ah!"
+
+The frigate quivered from end to end; she seemed to have been struck
+by a cyclone. An iron hail beat on her sides, bursting them in in
+many directions, while splinters of iron and wood flew across the
+'tween decks, striking men down in many directions. In one brief
+second the orderliness of the place was transformed to the most utter
+disorder, as the enemy had answered the frigate's broadside with one
+of her own. Tom looked about him wonderingly, dazed by the commotion
+and astounded at what he saw. For by now the wind blowing in at the
+open ports had cleared all the smoke away, and he could see all that
+was happening in the 'tween decks. There lay the gun on his right a
+wreck, turned on its side, its muzzle crushed out of sight, two of
+its wheels broken and half-buried in the deck. What had before been
+a square porthole was now an irregular, torn opening, through which
+a vast expanse of sea could be watched. But it was the poor wretches
+who had manned the gun who claimed his greatest attention. Five of
+them lay mangled upon the deck, with pools of blood accumulating
+about them and draining off towards the scuppers in trickles and
+streams. On the port side, opposite where the gun had stood, three
+men had been struck by the missile, and lay silent and motionless.
+Elsewhere there were rents in the side of the frigate, and men lay
+about in all postures, some moaning, others silent, nursing a wounded
+arm or leg. This was war; this was the treatment meted out by one
+nation to another.
+
+But of loss of discipline there was none. If the 'tween decks was in
+disorder there was order amongst the men, and no flinching. Already
+the surgeon's mates and helpers were carrying the wounded away
+towards the ladder leading to the cockpit, while at every gun stood
+its crew, immovable and ready, waiting the word of the officer. As
+for the enemy, the shapely lines of the French man-of-war had changed
+wonderfully, for she was so near now that one could see distinctly.
+The white deck, still careened towards the frigate, was seamed and
+scarred and torn. One mast lay over her rail, the sails towing in
+the water, and her sides were marked by shot holes, two of her ports
+having been converted into one by an enormous rent that extended
+between them.
+
+A dull cheer resounded through the frigate; the men in the 'tween
+decks took it up lustily, and then came again that commotion above.
+The vessel shivered, shot and flame and smoke belched from the ports
+on the upper deck, the roar being followed once again by the rumble
+of gun wheels on their metal runners.
+
+"Fire!" Mr. Riley stood halfway up the ladder leading to the upper
+deck and waved his cocked hat at the crews under his own command.
+Crash! went the broadside. Tom watched the powder at the vent squirt
+upward in flame and smoke as on a previous occasion, and then sprang
+to the cables as Jim's husky voice called to his own crew to draw the
+gun in and reload.
+
+[Illustration: "CRASH! WENT THE BROADSIDE"]
+
+"Double shot; don't forget," bellowed Mr. Riley, and obedient to the
+order the loaders thrust first one and then a second huge iron ball
+into the gaping muzzles. In the middle of the operation there came
+a resounding discharge from the enemy, while huge columns of smoke
+hid her sides. But the shot failed to strike the frigate, for a few
+seconds earlier the commander had put his helm up and had sheered
+off towards the Frenchman. It was a clever manoeuvre, and made a
+wonderful difference to the fight in progress. For the enemy had
+received four successive broadsides now, and had returned only one
+effective one, and that not so effective as it might have been had
+the ships been nearer. Added to that, it was less than five minutes
+later when the gunners on the port side got their sights aligned on
+the enemy, and a simultaneous broadside was delivered by the guns of
+the upper and 'tween decks. Then the commander swung his helm again
+and made across the stern of the Frenchman.
+
+"Stand ready," sang out Mr. Riley again, his eyes glued upon the
+man-of-war. "Layers concentrate on the stern. In one minute, men; in
+one minute we shall be there. Now! Fire!"
+
+Running round in a circle after crossing in the wake of the
+Frenchman, the frigate had gone about after emptying her complete
+port broadside, and had then swept round in rear of the enemy.
+It was a manoeuvre which, if not quickly carried out, might have
+ended in disaster. But nothing occurred to disturb it, while the
+Frenchman, impeded by his broken mast and the sail dragging in
+the water--and slowed considerably thereby--was unable to counter
+the movement by swinging also. It followed, therefore, that the
+frigate had an enormous advantage, and, making the most of this,
+crossed and recrossed the rear of the enemy, emptying first the
+starboard broadside and then every gun on the port side. As for the
+French battleship, her guns were useless. Not one of her broadsides
+could be brought to bear, and though she sheered off to the south
+a little, the commander was at once able to alter his own position
+correspondingly.
+
+"It's a victory," said Jim, with elation. "The man that laid the
+gun that brought down that mast deserves to be made an admiral this
+minute. It's saved lives aboard this ship, boys. It's won the battle."
+
+"Shall we board her now?" asked Tom, who was densely ignorant of
+naval matters.
+
+"Board her! Not us!" cried Jim. "Where's the use? She carries two or
+three men to every man jack of us, and would have all the chances
+if we boarded, not that I say as we wouldn't do the business. But
+we've the best of it like this. She's cut that mast adrift, but
+it'll be hours before she can refit, and meanwhile we've the legs of
+her. We've only to keep here, astern, plugging shot into her all the
+while, and she's bound to give in before long. Of course she can't do
+that yet awhile. That wouldn't be fighting, and I'm bound to say that
+the Frenchies are good at the game, almost as good as we are. She'll
+hold on and endeavour to best us; but she'll have to haul down her
+colours before very long. Ah! What'd I say? Look at 'em!"
+
+The flag of France flying aloft on the enemy was seen to flutter. It
+dropped a foot or two and then came down with a run. Instantly a
+hoarse bellow resounded through the frigate. Men gripped hands and
+cheered, the shouts coming from every deck. Even the wounded, who had
+not all been removed, sat up with an effort and cheered as best they
+could.
+
+"Silence, men," came from Mr. Riley at this moment, and turning they
+saw him standing halfway up the ladder, bent so that the men could
+see his face. "Stand to your guns all the while; don't draw charges
+till you get the order. Jim there, from No. 4 gun, send me four of
+your men to join the boarding party."
+
+Tom noticed that the officer had been wounded, for he carried one arm
+in a sling, and there were stains of blood on his breeches. He was
+wondering how he had come by the wound, when Jim struck him heavily
+on the back.
+
+"Avast dreamin' there, me hearty," he shouted hoarsely, still elated
+at what had happened. "Get off to the officer and go aboard the ship.
+You'll see something to interest you."
+
+Tom wanted no more coaxing; he dropped the cable on which he had been
+hauling and went at a run towards the ladder, followed by the other
+men. They kept close on the heels of Mr. Riley, and in a twinkling
+were on the main deck. There the commander was now stationed, and
+about him a group of officers and men.
+
+"Ah, there you are, Mr. Riley!" he exclaimed. "We'll go aboard in the
+cutter, taking three men from each deck. Step in, my lads."
+
+Tom scrambled into the boat with the crew, and watched as it was
+lowered away. He was filled with amazement, first that a boat of such
+proportions as the cutter could support so many men when hung to her
+davits, and then that she could be safely lowered with such a load to
+the water. Meanwhile he noticed the high sides of the frigate, the
+officer up on the quarterdeck, and the men of the watch away aloft in
+the rigging. The frigate lay inert, her sails flapping, while, almost
+a quarter of a mile away now, the French ship lay in the water,
+slowly heaving up and down, with a peculiar and significant twist in
+one of her masts.
+
+"Struck by our broadsides as we passed and repassed," Mr. Riley told
+him as they were lowered away, for the officer happened to be close
+to our hero. "She had bad luck. It's rare that one brings down a mast
+at the first discharge, and that of course proved her undoing; the
+loss of the second makes her useless for fighting purposes. This has
+been a gallant action and will give us no end of credit. Ah, there
+goes a recall gun!"
+
+A spout of flame and smoke belched from the frigate a little above
+the heads of the men in the cutter, for the latter had now reached
+the water, and turning his head Tom watched the ball discharged
+strike the sea some two hundred yards ahead of the small sloop that
+had been sailing in company of the battleship, and which had now
+changed her course.
+
+"She'll not disobey the order," reflected Mr. Riley. "Once we are
+aboard the enemy the frigate could sink that vessel within ten
+minutes. There go her sails aback; she'll swing round and come in
+like a docile dog. Now, lad, clamber aboard when we reach the ship;
+you come as one of my escort."
+
+"You're wounded, sir," said Tom. "Let me fasten that sling for you
+again; it's too long, and doesn't support the arm."
+
+He undid the knot with the help of fingers and teeth and then
+rearranged the sling. By the time he had finished they were under the
+counter of the French battleship, to which a man at the stern and
+bows of the cutter clung with a boathook. At once a midshipman sprang
+at a dangling rope ladder and went swarming up with the agility of a
+monkey, two of the crew following. Tom picked up a coil of rope and
+without a question made a noose fast round the waist of the officer
+who had already befriended him.
+
+"I'll get aboard and help to haul you up, sir," he said. "You'd never
+manage to clamber up that ladder with one arm wounded."
+
+He waited for no orders, but, springing at the ladder, went
+scrambling up, the end of the rope secured between his teeth. A
+minute later Mr. Riley was being hoisted to the deck of the French
+battleship. Then the commander followed, and after him more of the
+crew, with two officers.
+
+Tom found himself looking down upon a scene which was almost
+indescribable; for the ship had been cruelly mauled by the broadsides
+of the frigate. There were a dozen holes in her deck, where shot
+had penetrated, while in many places the rails were driven in. A
+dismounted gun lay in one of the scuppers, with part of her crew
+crushed beneath it; and from end to end of the ship there were
+signs of the awful havoc the iron tempest had created. Men lay in
+all directions and in all postures. The damaged mast swung by the
+starboard halyards and threatened to fall inboard at any moment,
+while a huge stretch of crumpled and shot-holed canvas covered one
+portion of the deck. To add to the scene of ruin, smoke and flames
+were belching from a hatch towards the stern of the quarterdeck, and
+some fifty sailors were endeavouring to quench the conflagration
+with water cast from buckets. Almost opposite the spot where the
+ladder dangled, and where the victors had come aboard, was a group of
+officers, and in their centre one seated on a chair, pallid to the
+lips and obviously wounded. The commander went towards him instantly
+and took him by the hand.
+
+"You are hurt?" he asked. "You have fought your ship gallantly, but
+fortune was against you. Go to your quarters, please. I will take no
+sword from an officer of such courage."
+
+He put aside the sword that was offered him so feebly, and signed to
+men of his crew to lift the injured officer. Then he shook hands with
+the other Frenchmen present, many of whom shed tears as they replaced
+their swords in their scabbards.
+
+"Ah, monsieur," said one, who seemed to be the second in command, "it
+was the fortune of war, but bad fortune for us. With that mast shot
+away we were helpless, and then your broadsides poured into our stern
+tore the lengths of the decks, and did terrible damage. Our poor
+fellows were shot down in heaps. War, monsieur, is a terror."
+
+None could fail to admit that who visited the French ship, for what
+had been a well-found, trim vessel was now a shambles. It turned Tom
+sick and faint when he looked about him, so that he was forced to
+cling to the rail. But a moment later, when Mr. Riley called him, he
+was able to pull himself together.
+
+"We're to go aboard the sloop and see what she is," he called. "Help
+to lower me into the cutter."
+
+Half an hour later Tom clambered up the side of the smaller vessel,
+and hauled his officer up after him. They found a French midshipman
+in command of a crew of five, while beneath the hatches there were
+three prisoners.
+
+"Release them," Mr. Riley ordered; and, taking a couple of the French
+crew with him, Tom saw the hatch lifted, and called to the men below
+to come up. The smart uniform of an officer showed through the square
+hatch at once, and in a moment or two a youth stood on the deck
+before him, whom one would have said was British to the backbone.
+
+"Ensign Jack Barwood, 60th Rifles, sir," he reported, drawing
+himself up in front of Mr. Riley and saluting. "Going out to join my
+regiment, this little sloop in which I had taken passage was held up
+by a French man-of-war. Our men were taken off, that is, the crew.
+I and two of my own men were left here as prisoners. We heard heavy
+firing, and guessed there was an action. What has happened?"
+
+Mr. Riley turned and pointed at the French prize won by the frigate.
+"We beat her," he said, with pride in his tones. "You've had luck to
+escape so early from a French prison. Where were you bound for?"
+
+"In the first place, Oporto," came the answer. "Later, as a prisoner,
+for Bayonne. Now, I suppose, we shall have to return to England?"
+
+As it turned out, however, it was to Oporto that the little sloop
+made.
+
+"The frigate makes for home at once," Mr. Riley reported, when he had
+rowed back to the ship, and had again come out to the sloop. "She
+sails in company with her prize, and no doubt the homecoming will be
+a fine triumph. I have orders to take this sloop to Oporto, there to
+hand over this young fellow to the authorities."
+
+He pointed to Tom and smiled, while the ensign, turning upon
+our hero, surveyed him with amazement, and with some amount of
+superciliousness if the truth be told.
+
+"Pardon, sir," he said, "I don't understand."
+
+"Of course not," came the smiling answer; "nor does he. Come here,
+Tom."
+
+Our hero, as may be imagined, was just as dumbfounded as the ensign;
+for though Mr. Riley had been wonderfully kind to him from the
+beginning, his manner had suddenly changed. He addressed him as if
+he were an equal, not as if he were one of the crew.
+
+"I'll explain," he smiled, seeing the bewilderment expressed by both
+young fellows. "While the action was passing between us and the
+man-of-war our lookouts reported a sail in the offing. She has come
+up to us since, and turns out to be a smaller frigate than ourselves.
+But the point is this--she left the Thames after us, and has
+carried a brisk breeze with her all the way. She asked at once for
+information concerning a young fellow brought aboard just before we
+weighed, who had been impressed by a gang having quarters near London
+Bridge. That, sir, is the young fellow."
+
+He pointed at Tom, whom the ensign still regarded in amazement.
+
+"The whole thing has been cleared up, of course," said Mr. Riley.
+"There is no longer any doubt that this gentleman is the son of Mr.
+Septimus John Clifford, wine merchant, of London Bridge."
+
+"Eh?" suddenly interjected the ensign, staring hard at Tom.
+"Clifford, of London Bridge. Well, I'm bothered! Why, Tom, don't you
+know me?"
+
+It must be confessed that our hero was somewhat taken aback. In this
+young officer so much above himself, clad in the handsome uniform
+of the 60th Rifles, he had not recognized an old friend. Indeed his
+attention had been centred on his own officer. But now, when Jack
+Barwood lifted his cap, Tom recognized him at once, and gave vent to
+a shout of delight.
+
+"Why, it's you!" he cried, gripping the hand extended. "Haven't seen
+you since--now when did we meet last?"
+
+"Time you licked that cub of a grocer's boy," laughed Jack, who
+seemed to be just such another as our hero, and who was evidently a
+jovial fellow. "He passed when we were with your cousin, and grinned
+and sauced you. You were at him in a jiffy."
+
+Mr. Riley laughed loudly when he heard what was passing. "Why, he's
+been at one of our men aboard the frigate," he cried. "Hammered him
+badly just before we fell in with the Frenchman. He's a tiger."
+
+"He's a demon to fight, is Tom, sir," laughed Jack. "Ask him how we
+became acquainted."
+
+"Eh? How?" asked the officer curiously, and then pressed the question
+when he saw that Tom had gone a crimson colour and was looking
+sheepish. "Eh?" he repeated.
+
+"He's pretending to have forgotten," shouted Jack, enjoying the
+situation. "I'll tell the tale. It was at school one day. Tom was
+chewing toffee, mine had disappeared from a pocket. I tackled him
+with the theft, and we went hammer and tongs for one another. It was
+a busy time for us for some ten minutes."
+
+"Ah!" smiled Mr. Riley. "Who won?"
+
+"Drawn battle," exclaimed Tom, somewhat sulkily.
+
+"I had a licking," laughed Jack. "It was a certainty for him from the
+beginning."
+
+"Not surprised," came from the officer. "And the toffee?"
+
+"Eh?" asked Jack.
+
+"The toffee you accused him of stealing?" asked Mr. Riley. "You found
+it later?"
+
+"In another pocket--yes," admitted Jack, with a delightful grin.
+"I deserved that hiding; it made us fast friends. So Tom's been
+impressed."
+
+"By the machinations of his cousin."
+
+That caused Tom to lift his head and come nearer. He had wondered
+time and again how that impressment had been brought about, whether
+by accident or design, and had never been able to bring himself to
+believe that José was responsible. Mr. Riley's words made him open
+his ears.
+
+"You are sure, sir?" he asked.
+
+"The commander has letters from your father with positive proof.
+However, things seemed to have happened fortunately. You are to be
+taken to Oporto after all, and here you meet with an old friend.
+Things couldn't have been better. Now I shall leave you both aboard
+while I go to get together a crew. We'll set a course for Oporto when
+I return, and ought to reach the place inside the week. Tom, you'll
+no longer be a sailor before the mast. I have the commander's orders
+to take you as a passenger, or, if you wish it, to appoint you an
+officer for the time being. How's that?"
+
+It was all delightful hearing; and when at length the sloop turned
+her bows for Oporto, leaving the frigate to sail away with her
+prize, and incidentally to carry Tom's letter to his father in
+England, the party aboard the little vessel could not have been
+merrier.
+
+"You'll have to turn soldier yet," declared Jack to our hero,
+standing so that the latter could inspect his uniform, and indeed the
+young fellow cut such a neat figure that Tom was even more tempted
+than formerly. For Jack was slimmer and shorter than he, while the
+few months of training he had experienced had taught him to hold
+himself erect. A jollier and more careless ensign never existed. It
+can be said with truth that, had the fortunes of the troops in the
+Peninsula depended on Jack's wisdom and military knowledge, disaster
+would promptly have overtaken our arms. He was just one of those
+jolly, inconsequential sort of fellows, always skylarking, always gay
+and laughing, who go through the world as if serious subjects were
+not in existence.
+
+"Hooray for the life of a soldier!" he shouted, knowing Tom's ardent
+wishes that way, and anxious to fill him with envy. "Who'd ever sit
+on a stool and sweat over books in an office?"
+
+"I'll lick you if you don't stop short," growled Tom sourly, and yet
+laughing for all that; for who could take Jack seriously? "Who knows,
+I may be a leader of troops before you have cut your wisdom teeth?
+Who knows?"
+
+Who could guess the future indeed? Not Tom. Not the jovial,
+thoughtless Jack. Not even the wise Mr. Riley, with all his
+experience of the sea and of the men who go upon it. It seemed that
+Oporto would receive them in the course of a few days, and that
+Jack and Tom would there part. But within twenty-four hours of that
+conversation the scene was changed. Two vessels raised their peaks
+from the offing, and, sailing nearer, declared themselves as French.
+They overhauled the little sloop, in spite of a spread of canvas that
+threatened to press her beneath the water. And that evening Tom and
+his companions were prisoners.
+
+"My uncle! What awful luck!" groaned Jack, in the depths of despair,
+as is often the case with high-mettled people when reverses come
+along. "No soldiering, Tom; no office for you. I'd prefer that to a
+prison."
+
+"It's the fortune of war," exclaimed Mr. Riley with resignation. "For
+me it makes no great difference. The wound I received aboard the
+frigate has not improved, and, even if I become a prisoner, I shall
+receive proper treatment, which is impossible aboard this sloop. I'm
+sorry for you two young fellows."
+
+"Pooh, sir," smiled Tom, "we'll give 'em the slip! Seems to me I'm
+not meant for Oporto yet awhile. We'll give 'em the slip, and then
+I'll take on as a soldier."
+
+"Slip? How?" asked Jack, somewhat staggered, for the idea had not
+occurred to him.
+
+"Depends; couldn't say now how we'll bring it about. But we'll manage
+it some way. I speak Spanish and Portuguese and a little French. If
+with those advantages we can't manage the business, well, we're only
+fit for a prison."
+
+"Hooray!" shouted the excited Jack; whereat one of the French
+officers accosted them angrily. But Tom quickly appeased him.
+
+"Where do we get landed, _Monsieur le Lieutenant_?" he asked politely.
+
+"Ah, you speak our tongue! That is good," came the more pleasant
+answer. "But where you land I cannot say; you will be sent with
+troops to the north of Spain, and so to a prison."
+
+It was not very cheering news, but Tom made the best of it.
+
+"I don't put my nose into a French prison if I can help it!" he
+declared, in that particular tone of voice to which Jack had grown
+accustomed when they were chums at school.
+
+"And he won't!" declared the latter. "I know Tom well--a pig-headed,
+stubborn beggar from his cradle. Tom'll give 'em the slip, and we
+with him. One thing seems all right in the meanwhile--there's grub
+and drink in plenty. I never could stand starvation; I'd rather go to
+prison."
+
+But whatever thoughts they may have had as regards escaping were set
+aside when they landed. Putting in at an obscure port, Tom and his
+friends found a squadron of horsemen waiting to receive them, for the
+ship had flown signals. The three friends, together with the two men
+belonging to Jack's regiment, were given horses, while a trooper
+took their reins, two other men riding close to each one of them. And
+then they set off across a barren country, which, however fair it may
+have been in other days, was burned black, stripped of all eatables,
+while those villages which had not been swallowed by the flames were
+wrecked and useless.
+
+"You will be careful not to attempt an escape," said the officer
+in command of the squadron, speaking to Tom, the only one of the
+prisoners who could understand him. "I have given orders for the
+troopers to shoot at the first attempt. We ride now to join our main
+army, and through a country inhabited by people who would flay us
+alive if they could catch us. Let that alone warn you not to attempt
+escape. The Portuguese peasants are more dangerous than my soldiers."
+
+He shouted to the head of the column, set his own horse in motion,
+and led the way at a pace that threatened to be trying. It was
+obvious, in fact, that he was anxious to reach the summit of the
+hills near at hand, and not to be found in the open when night fell.
+As for Tom and his friends, the outlook seemed hopeless; an attempt
+at escape meant a bullet from their guard. And, even were they
+successful, they were in a country where bands of peasants scoured
+the valleys murdering all who were too weak to oppose them. It looked
+indeed as if a French prison would shortly shelter them, and as if
+there Jack's military career would come to a halt before it had
+actually begun, while Tom's ambitions in that direction would be cut
+in twain and end only in bitter disappointment.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+Prisoners
+
+
+If ever a band of prisoners could be described as jovial it was
+the little band with whom Tom Clifford was travelling. For the
+confinement at sea made a trip ashore most enchanting; then the quick
+and unaccustomed movement, the efforts more than one of them were
+forced to make continually to keep in their saddles, provoked an
+amount of amusement which even infected their escort.
+
+"I was as near off as anything that time," shouted the irrepressible
+Jack, when his horse had shied at a rock and nearly thrown him. "Wish
+one of these fellows would rope me to the saddle instead of leading
+me as if I were a child."
+
+"What does he say, monsieur?" asked the trooper riding near our hero,
+and at once Tom explained.
+
+"That would not be good for him," laughed the man. "If we have to
+gallop at any time, and the horse fell, he would be left to be
+butchered. I tell you, monsieur, these peasants are terrible. I do
+not say that they are not justified, for our men have behaved cruelly
+to them. But the peasants care nothing whether it be horse soldiers
+or foot. If a man of ours falls into their hands he is butchered;
+that would be your fate also if you were to lag behind."
+
+Every now and again, as the small party made for the hills, groups of
+men were seen hovering in the distance. And once, when the squadron
+was riding through a narrow defile, rocks descended from above.
+
+"Gallop!" commanded the officer, and striking their heels into the
+flanks of the horses the soldiers soon passed through. When the dusk
+of evening began to fall, shots rang out in the distance, and one of
+the troopers was wounded.
+
+"I see men gathering in front of us," suddenly exclaimed one of the
+sergeants. "They fill the gap through which we must pass to gain the
+road for the hill."
+
+"Halt!" came from the commander. "Place the prisoners in the centre.
+We will ride forward steadily till within shot of them, and then
+we will charge. There is nothing else to be done. To retreat would
+be to have the whole population of the country about us to-morrow;
+monsieur," he said, as if by an afterthought; "you and your comrades
+realize the danger?"
+
+Tom nodded at once. "We see the position, _Monsieur le Capitaine_,"
+he said. "You are a detached party away from the army."
+
+"We are one of hundreds of squadrons told off to clear the country
+during the retreat of our armies across the Tagus," came the answer.
+"From to-day we march for Spain, and I hope we may never put foot in
+Portugal again. It is not a pleasant duty, this burning of villages
+and crops, but orders must be obeyed. We are detached, as you say,
+and to join our friends we have to run the gauntlet. Monsieur and his
+friends can have temporary liberty, and arms with which to fight, if
+they will give their word of honour to respect me and my men, and
+hand themselves over later on as captives to us."
+
+"I will speak with my friends," replied Tom at once, overjoyed at
+the proposal; for he could see easily that there was a strenuous
+time before the little party, and in the event of a reverse to the
+troopers the position of himself and his friends might be very
+serious. Armed and ready they would be in a different position.
+Rapidly, therefore, he explained the position to Mr. Riley.
+
+"Agreed!" cried the latter eagerly. "Not that I'm much use either
+way. It takes me all my time to stick to this animal, let alone use
+a weapon; for I have only one useful arm. Tell him we agree. You
+men,"--and he swung round on Andrews and Howeley, the two men of
+the 60th accompanying them, "you men understand the position, no
+doubt. We are fighting for the Portuguese, and against the French;
+but here is a case where our friends will not know us. They will
+kill us with the others before we can explain. It is a question of
+self-preservation."
+
+"Right, sir," answered Andrews cheerily. "We're game, and though
+it'll be hard luck to have to become prisoners again, we see the
+reason. We give our word."
+
+"Good, then," exclaimed the officer of the party with relief, and at
+once gave orders to his troopers to throw off the leading reins, and
+to hand each of the prisoners a sabre. To Mr. Riley he presented a
+pistol.
+
+"For you, monsieur," he bowed. "If there is need, you will know how
+to use it. Now, men," he commanded, "we will ride forward in column
+of files, and when I shout, spread out into line. A charge should
+carry us through them. Gallop right through the village and up the
+road. Forward!"
+
+Nowhere, perhaps, were there finer troopers to be found than those
+in the French army invading the Peninsula. Napoleon had, in fact,
+swamped the country with divisions of magnificent cavalry, with
+numerous veterans in the ranks, and under leaders skilled in cavalry
+work who had taken their squadrons into action many and many a
+time, and had won victories. The preceding years of this eventful
+campaign in the Peninsula had seen detached parties of French
+horsemen penetrating far into country held by Wellington's troops,
+or by Spanish or Portuguese irregulars; and while the former had
+taught them many a lesson, and had, indeed, shown the French troops
+that if they were brave, the lads from England were equal to them,
+there is little doubt that, just as Wellington and our armies had
+learned to despise the Portuguese irregulars, and those of Spain in
+particular, the French held them even more in contempt. It was the
+detached bands of guerrillas, however, that did them the greatest
+injury. No wandering party of horsemen could bivouac without fear
+of having sentries and outposts murdered in the night. Sudden and
+ferocious attacks were frequent, and at this time, when the French
+were retreating before our armies, and when without shadow of doubt
+they had treated the Portuguese peasantry and townspeople with
+horrible cruelty, a detached squadron such as the one Tom accompanied
+was liable to annihilation unless handled with great skill. However,
+this squadron in particular and its officer seemed to make light of
+the difficulties before them. They were accustomed to the hatred of
+the peasants, accustomed also to see them take to their heels when
+they charged, and disappear in their mountains. It was, therefore,
+with a cheer, in which Tom and his friends joined, that they jogged
+forward in column of file, their sabres drawn and ready, their leader
+a horse's length in advance of them.
+
+Tom rose in his stirrups and surveyed the enemy. Even through the
+gloom he could see that there must be two hundred at least gathered
+at the entrance of the village through which the squadron must pass
+to reach the road to the heights. Shots came from the mass every now
+and again, while there were red flashes from the buildings. Shrill
+cries of rage and hate reached his ears, and amongst the voices he
+could distinguish those of women.
+
+Phit! Phit! Bullets whizzed overhead, while the trooper next to him
+suddenly gave vent to a growl of anger.
+
+"Struck me in the arm, monsieur," he said, after a few moments. "I
+would rather far receive a wound in proper battle than from these
+wolves. But you will see; they will scatter as we charge. We shall
+cut down a few of the laggards, burn the village, and thus light our
+way to the mountains. Poof! The Portuguese are brutes, the Spaniards
+are gentlemen beside them."
+
+That was the way in which the French looked at the nations in the
+Peninsula. Truth compels us to admit that they had reason for liking
+the Spaniards; for not only were they able to play with them as if
+they were children, utterly despising them as soldiers, but also they
+obtained real help from them in their campaign, and though England
+had sent troops to repel the invader, and to help the Spaniards
+as well as the Portuguese to rid their country of oppression, yet
+throughout the campaign the Spaniards in particular foiled the wishes
+of Wellington and his generals in every direction. They withheld
+supplies even from the wounded. They parted with nothing save at an
+exorbitant price, and always there were traitors amongst them ready
+to disclose our plans to the enemy. The Portuguese, too, were not
+guiltless in this matter; but, on the whole, their irregulars did
+some excellent work, and they at least made an attempt to help the
+British to drive Napoleon and his armies out of the Peninsula.
+
+"Canter!" the command rang out loudly as a wide splash of flame
+came from the peasants, while bullets clipped the air, sang shrilly
+overhead, and sometimes hit horses or accoutrements. Tom heard a
+sharp metallic sound, and lost a stirrup, shot away by one of these
+bullets; but he managed to secure it again, though he was no great
+horseman.
+
+"Form line on the left!" The command rang out, while answering howls
+and shouts came from the village. "Charge!"
+
+Tom could see the commander standing in his stirrups, his sword
+raised overhead, his face turned towards his men. And that
+exhilarating shout, the excitement in the air, the bullets and the
+cries, sent his blood surging through him. Let us remember that Tom
+was young, and possessed of excellent health and spirits, also that
+soldiering was no new ambition with him. Fear for the future he
+had none, but all the while he was wondering how the matter would
+progress, and what would happen supposing the villagers held their
+ground and refused to be driven from the village. The hammer of the
+horses' hoofs, the jingle of bits and stirrups, and the sharp reports
+of muskets sent a thrill through his frame from head to foot, and in
+a moment he was leaning forward like the troopers, his sabre down
+over his knee, all eagerness to reach the enemy. Nor was it long
+before the squadron got to striking distance. The peasants held their
+ground till the horses were fifty paces away, and then raced into the
+houses. A storm of bullets came from windows and doorways, and then,
+of a sudden, there was a clatter in front, and the commander of the
+squadron disappeared from view entirely. By then Tom was within ten
+paces of him; for the formation had brought him to the very centre.
+
+"Halt!" he bellowed, seeing what had happened. "The road is blocked.
+The peasants have dug a huge ditch, and the commander has gone into
+it. Here--hold my horse!"
+
+He flung the reins to a trooper riding at his knee, and slid to
+the ground. A moment later he was down in the rough and deep ditch
+which the peasants had made ready, and leaning over the unfortunate
+commander of the squadron found that he was dead.
+
+"_Il est mort!_" he shouted to the troopers, making his way back to
+his horse at once.
+
+"Monsieur, this is terrible!" cried the trooper who had held the
+reins. "We are being shot down rapidly, and nothing is being done
+to help us. The captain is dead and his lieutenant; I think the
+sergeants are also hurt."
+
+The engagement, so far as the squadron was concerned, had indeed come
+to a curious and dangerous halt. The troopers sat bunched together,
+some of the men reining their horses back as if about to flee. Yet
+no order came. There was no one to give the word of command. It was
+then that Tom showed the stuff of which he was made. It is true Mr.
+Riley should perhaps have come to the fore, or Jack; but neither
+could speak the language, while, in any case, it was the duty of one
+of the troopers to conduct the action. However, when no one comes
+forward, and men are being shot down rapidly, it is clear that he who
+takes command on his shoulders, and acts wisely, is a blessing to his
+comrades. Jack took the post without a thought. To sit still longer
+was madness, and quite impossible.
+
+"Wheel about," he shouted in French. "Ah, they have closed in on us!
+We are caught between two fires. Forward, men, charge!"
+
+He led them at the enemy at full gallop; but what could fifty men do
+against some hundreds? It happened that this squadron of horse had
+been watched by the peasants, and for two days past efforts had been
+made to surround it. The wild inhabitants of this mountainous region,
+burning with hatred of the invader, had been brought together, and
+gradually, as the horsemen retreated from the coast and got into
+difficult country, the net had been drawn about them. There were
+perhaps five hundred peasants in rear of the party when Tom faced
+them about and charged. A crashing discharge of musketry swept
+the ranks of the troopers, dropping a dozen of the men from their
+saddles, and then began a rush on the part of the enemy. It looked,
+indeed, as if the remnant would be annihilated, and slashed to pieces
+where they stood. Tom looked anxiously and swiftly about him, and
+perceiving a building on the outskirts of the village, a little to
+one side, he instantly decided to occupy it.
+
+"Right wheel!" he shouted. "Now gallop to that building. If the door
+is big enough, and we can open it, ride right in. Forward! Clear the
+rabble coming towards us."
+
+It happened that another section of the circle was approaching the
+scene of the action from the direction of the building towards which
+he and the troopers were now making, and these at once opened fire.
+But Tom set heels to his horse, and in a minute he and the men
+supporting him burst amongst the peasants, slashing at them to right
+and left, riding them down, and scattering them in every direction.
+It was exciting work while it lasted, and it had the effect of
+allowing the party a little breathing time. They rode up to the door
+of the building, to find it was a church, and in a twinkling the door
+was open. Up the five steps leading to it rode Tom, and after him
+came his comrades.
+
+"Dismount," he commanded. "Draw your carbines and scatter about the
+place, to make sure that no windows or doors are open. Two of you
+stand guard over the horses."
+
+It was pitch dark within the church; but a trooper quickly discovered
+a torch, and then some candles stored away in a box.
+
+"It won't do to keep them burning," said Tom, thinking rapidly. "The
+light would help the enemy to shoot us; but we must have something
+with which to inspect the place. Ah, I know--Andrews!"
+
+"Yes, sir?"
+
+The big rifleman was standing stiffly at attention before Tom, his
+arm at the salute.
+
+"Take the torch and this trooper with you. Go round; return when you
+have inspected, and report."
+
+The soldier saluted again with as much briskness as he would have
+displayed had Tom been a regular officer, and went away with one of
+the troopers whom Tom called.
+
+"Howeley!" he shouted.
+
+"Sir?"
+
+Like Andrews, the man was drawn up with the rigidity of a bayonet.
+
+"Collect all ammunition, place it in a central position, and dish it
+out ten rounds at a time. Report the total amount."
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+The fine fellow went off like a rocket to perform the task, while Tom
+called to the troopers.
+
+"My lads," he shouted, "let us be silent; I have sent a man to
+inspect the place, and will post you all presently. Another will
+collect the ammunition, and give it out ten rounds at a time. Don't
+forget that we may be held up here for hours, and our lives will
+depend on the amount of cartridges we have. Now, I want two of you
+for another purpose."
+
+Two men at once came forward. "We are ready, monsieur," one of them
+said. "For the moment we and our comrades look to you as the leader.
+Indeed you are a leader; but for your quickness and decision we
+should be back there at the entrance to the village shot down beside
+our comrades."
+
+"Then collect all saddle bags," said Tom, "pile them in a corner,
+and with them all water bottles. They are the most important. I'm
+not afraid of starvation; for we have horses here, and one of them
+slaughtered will provide us with ample food. It is the water that is
+important; see to it, please."
+
+It was perhaps some ten minutes later that the defences of the church
+were ready. Tom busied himself posting men at all vulnerable spots,
+and then clambered into the tower with Andrews. It was quite a modest
+erection, some fifty feet in height, but sufficient to give a view
+over the village. Lights could be seen in many directions, while
+shouts echoed through the air. There was the tramp of feet also, and
+a dull mass over at the entrance to the village.
+
+"They're gloating over the poor chaps they shot and knocked out of
+their saddles, sir," said Andrews. "It was sharp business; I was
+never in a brisker, and I've done two years of the campaign already.
+Came out in 1808, sir, and went home wounded. Beg pardon, sir, but
+what might your corps be?"
+
+"Corps? Corps?" exclaimed Tom, mystified for the moment. "Oh, I
+follow! I'm not in the army, Andrews. I was on my way out to Oporto,
+or, more correctly, I was going to sail for that place when I was
+impressed and sent aboard a British frigate. We had that action with
+the French man-of-war, and you were released. News had come out to
+the frigate, meanwhile, that I ought never to have been impressed,
+and so the captain sent me on in the sloop to Oporto. By rights I
+ought to be seated at a desk adding up long, dry columns."
+
+Andrews gave vent to a gruff expression. "Strike me!" he cried, as
+if dumbfounded by the information; "and I and Howeley and all them
+French boys took you for an orficer. Anyways, sir, beggin' your
+pardon, you've done handsomely. It was a lucky thing for us that you
+took the command, for Mr. Barwood ain't fit for it. He got knocked
+out by the first bullet almost, and it was as much as he could do
+to stick to his saddle till we reached here. Mr. Riley ain't no
+better. If Howeley hadn't held him he'd have been left outside to be
+murdered. This here's a tough little business."
+
+It proved, in fact, a fortunate thing for all concerned that Tom
+had taken the command. There are some who might express the opinion
+that he should not have done so, that it displayed an uppish spirit.
+Granted all that; but uppishness is just what is required in moments
+of stress and danger. The lad who is modest at all times, and yet who
+can come to the fore when circumstances urgently call for a leader,
+is a lad of the right sort, a benefactor to his comrades. In this
+case Tom had undoubtedly done the right thing, and, moreover, had
+done it well.
+
+"It was real smart," said Andrews respectfully. "Beggin' pardon
+again, sir; there's many who would have been cornered. To go forward
+was impossible, to retreat out of the question, seeing as there
+were three hundred or more of the ruffians behind us. This was the
+only course. It's queer to think that we, who are fighting for the
+Portuguese against the French, should be boxed up here in danger of
+having our throats slit by those who ought to be friends."
+
+"It's the fortune of war, Andrews," declared Tom. "I'm sorry for the
+wretches outside. By all accounts the French hate them intensely, for
+the Portuguese have shown more spirit than have the Spanish. They
+have contested the rights of the invaders from the beginning, and
+as a result the French have burned their villages and treated them
+badly. Indeed I believe they have behaved with the grossest cruelty.
+As a result there are reprisals, and we are swept up in one of these,
+and are likely to have a warm time of it before we are free."
+
+"It's bound to be an ugly business," admitted Andrews. "I can hear
+them coming now."
+
+"Then we'll go to the men," said Tom. "I'll give them orders not to
+fire till I tell them. Of course I shall make an attempt to win over
+the peasants."
+
+"Eh? How's that, sir?" asked Andrews. "What about their lingo?"
+
+"You forget I was meant for Oporto. I and my family have had
+associations with Portugal and Spain for a long while, and my cousins
+are Spanish. I speak both languages, but not well, I fear. I always
+hated lessons, and now wish to goodness I had been a little more
+diligent. However, I can make myself understood easily, and will try
+to win the peasants over."
+
+They clambered down the long, rough ladder that led from the belfry,
+and went amongst the men, Tom warning all of them to hold their fire
+till he shouted. Meanwhile Howeley had reported to him that there
+was ammunition sufficient to supply each man with forty-two rounds.
+As for food and drink, to his dismay he was informed that there was
+little of either; so that it looked as if the contest could not last
+for long.
+
+"We've just twenty-two men all told, counting yourself and the other
+officers," reported Andrews, some minutes later, saluting Tom as
+if he had no doubt as to his position. "Every window and door is
+guarded, and from what I can see of the troopers they are ready for
+any fighting. It's queer to think that we who were prisoners are in
+command, and no difficulty about it."
+
+There was little doubt that the situation was more or less unique,
+and caused Mr. Riley the utmost amusement. He, poor fellow, had been
+struck in the ribs somewhat heavily, and lay in a corner, with Jack
+close beside him; but he smiled when our hero at length had time to
+approach him.
+
+"My lad, you've done right well; you're a dead loss to the navy," he
+smiled. "I'm not surprised; after what I saw aboard the frigate I
+felt you would do something. Jack and I haven't worried you since we
+got here, as we saw you wanted freedom to think and arrange matters;
+but we're glad now that you're able to spare a few minutes. What will
+happen?"
+
+Tom stayed with them for a quarter of an hour, and now that he felt
+that he had done all that was possible in arranging the defence, he
+employed his wits and energies in seeing to his comrades. In the
+case of Mr. Riley, he, with the help of Andrews and Howeley, bound
+his chest very firmly with a couple of girths taken from the horses,
+first of all, however, placing a pad over the wound, which was little
+more than a contusion. For Jack equally simple surgery sufficed, for
+a bullet had penetrated his thigh, and, the bleeding having stopped,
+all that was wanted was a dressing and a bandage, and fortunately
+the troopers carried these with them. They had hardly made him
+comfortable when the lookout man posted in the tower reported that a
+mass of men were coming.
+
+"Remember--not a shot, my friends," Tom called out to the troops,
+"and take care not to show a light. I will see to these people and
+try to win them over."
+
+He scrambled up an ancient flight of stone steps and passed on to
+a ledge over the doorway, which, no doubt, served the purpose of
+a pulpit in fine weather. There was a dull roar of voices coming
+towards him, while the space between himself and the village seemed
+to be filled with figures. Ten minutes later a mob had drawn up in
+front of the church. Tom stood to his full height and hailed them.
+
+"My friends," he shouted in Portuguese. "We are English!"
+
+A fearful yell answered him. Shrieks of anger floated up to his ears,
+while a hurricane of shots swept in his direction. Amidst the dancing
+torches that many of the people carried there flashed out splashes
+of flame. The vibrating roar of voices which followed had in it an
+awe-inspiring note. Tom might have been on the verge of a rocky coast
+on which huge breakers were thundering in their fury. That note spoke
+of hatred, of an approaching triumph, of a horrible gloating on the
+part of the peasants. It told better than individual words could do
+what were the intentions of the enemy, what would be the fate of the
+besieged if they fell into their hands. Then, of a sudden, catching a
+better view perhaps of the solitary figure above them, the mob became
+silent.
+
+"My friends," called Tom, his tones clear, not a whimper in his
+voice, "you have made an error. There are five Englishmen amongst
+this party, five friends of the Portuguese. Let someone come forward
+to identify us."
+
+There might have been a mob of wild beasts outside by the answer. The
+crowd, thinking no doubt that one of the Frenchmen was attempting to
+fool them, and rob them of a prey they now counted upon as their own,
+shrieked aloud and came surging forward. More shots rang out, stones
+were thrown; and then, with a loud crash, the leaders came against
+the door of the church. Tom clambered down to his men, stern and
+pale and determined.
+
+"Post three of them up on the ledge," he told Andrews, who was a
+valuable help to him. "Let others fire through the windows when I
+shout. Don't fire till then."
+
+He repeated the words in French, and then waited till there came a
+stunning blow upon the door, a blow which shook it to the hinges and
+threatened to throw it down. It was clear, in fact, that the mob
+outside were longing to get at the troopers. Shouts and oaths could
+be heard, while the clatter of firearms was incessant.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+Napoleon the Ambitious
+
+
+Within the village church in which the French troopers and their
+one-time English prisoners had taken refuge under Tom Clifford's
+guidance there was a deathly silence while the mob outside shrieked
+and shouted. Not one of the defenders but knew what fate awaited them
+if once the enemy beat in the doors, and knowing that they listened
+as blow after blow thundered upon the woodwork, shaking the doors
+till they threatened to fall down.
+
+"Andrews," shouted Tom, who had been listening acutely like the
+rest, and wondering what action he ought to take, "light up one of
+the torches and take a couple of men with you. We want something to
+place behind the doors, for in a little while they will be beaten in.
+Meanwhile I will try again to pacify the peasants."
+
+It was a forlorn hope, and yet worth trying. Tom, therefore,
+clambered up the steep flight of stone steps again, while Andrews
+went off to do his bidding. Stepping past the three men who had
+ascended to the ledge above the crowd our hero once more stood
+to his full height and shouted to attract the attention of the
+peasants. And once more his coming was the signal for an outburst of
+shouts, shrieks, groans, and hisses which might well have appalled
+a brave man. Muskets flashed in the semi-darkness, for night had
+now come, while here and there torches flamed over the heads of the
+people. Bullets spattered and broke against the stonework about
+him, thudding heavily, even splashing him with portions of lead.
+One enthusiast, in fact, as if driven frantic by the sight of his
+person, made a vain attempt to clamber up the ledge, and, missing his
+footing, fell back upon the crowd, his coming setting rise to oaths
+and shouts of anger. Then there fell a sudden silence while a brawny
+giant, a blacksmith no doubt, stepped from under the archway of the
+door, a huge hammer over his shoulder, showing that it was he who had
+been delivering those smashing blows on the door.
+
+"People of Portugal," Tom called out loudly, "I have come again to
+speak to you. You fight with friends, not with enemies."
+
+The howl that followed would have scared even a veteran.
+
+"Friends! You say friends!" shouted the blacksmith, stepping still
+farther out from the arch, while a couple of torches near him
+illuminated his person. "Who are you that you should try to fool us?
+We know our business well enough. For days we have watched this troop
+of horse, and for days we have vowed to kill every man of them, to
+kill them slowly if we may. Who are you, speaking our tongue, who
+dare to say that you are friends?"
+
+Shouts of applause greeted the words. An excited individual near the
+speaker levelled a pistol and fired point-blank at Tom, narrowly
+missing his head. Then once more there was silence. The crowd, in
+fact, seemed to have realized their own power now, and knew well that
+the church was surrounded. Eager though they were to slaughter the
+troopers, they did not grudge a few moments' delay.
+
+"Who are you?" they shouted hoarsely.
+
+"I am English," answered Tom at once, "and so are four others amongst
+us. We were being carried as prisoners."
+
+"A lie!" came fiercely from someone in the crowd. "If he and the four
+beside were prisoners, why then were they armed? Why did they fight
+us at the entrance to the village?"
+
+The argument was greeted with roars of applause again, which silenced
+all Tom's efforts. Then the blacksmith held his hammer aloft to
+command silence, and, having obtained it, seized a torch and held it
+high up toward our hero.
+
+"Listen, friends and brothers," he called in hoarse tones. "There is
+one above who speaks our tongue and tells us that he and four others
+are English and therefore friends. Good! Let us say that this is no
+lie. There are four, while we are four hundred. Let these four, with
+the one who speaks to us, come out from the church. If their tale
+is true they shall live and we will feed and house them. If they
+lie----"
+
+The sentence was broken by discordant shouts of glee at the
+blacksmith's wit, shouts that boded ill for anyone foolhardy enough
+to place himself in the hands of such people, so roused by events,
+and mad for slaughter, that they were incapable of recognizing friend
+from foe.
+
+"Let the five come out to us," shouted the blacksmith, "leaving the
+others to be dealt with as we will."
+
+Tom waited for the noise which followed to die down, and then bent
+over the crowd. "What you ask is impossible," he said firmly. "I and
+my English friends will not desert the troopers. But we are ready
+to hand ourselves over to a body of English troops when you bring
+them to us. To you we will not trust ourselves, and I warn you that
+efforts on your part will lead to the death of many. Now, be wise;
+reflect on the consequences and leave us alone."
+
+Had he wished to stir the rage of the peasants Tom could not have
+done it more effectually. Screams of rage filled the air, while a
+torrent of bullets sped toward him. He stepped back from the ledge,
+clambered down the stairs, and seized a carbine and ammunition.
+
+"My friends," he said in French, "those wolves outside ask for our
+lives. We will sell them dearly. Let each man fire the moment the
+attack begins, remembering to make each shot tell, for ammunition is
+very scarce. Ah, is that you, Andrews?"
+
+"Yes, sir," came the answer, while the rifleman drew himself up
+stiffly in front of our hero, a lighted torch still in one hand.
+"There are pews, which we might break up," he reported; "but they're
+light, too light to be of use in a doorway. But one of the horses is
+dead, sir. If we were to pull him along here he'd make an obstacle
+they'd have difficulty in moving."
+
+"A horse!" the novel idea startled Tom. And then, on consideration,
+it appeared that nothing could be better. At once he sent Andrews off
+with four of the men to drag the animal towards the door, while he
+himself took the candle, and, striding over to the pews that filled
+the floor of the church, closely inspected them. A scheme for saving
+ammunition was growing in his brain; for it was clear that if the
+enemy persisted in an attack the wherewithal to load the muskets
+would soon be expended.
+
+"The doors will be broken down in no time," he told himself; "then we
+shall be separated from the peasants merely by the barrier we happen
+to place in position--a horse on this occasion. What we want is
+something long with which to keep them at a distance."
+
+Calling two of the troopers, he urged them to break up half a dozen
+of pews as swiftly as possible, keeping the long timbers intact.
+
+"Use your sabres," he said, "and when you have the timbers
+separated, point them at one end. I want a couple of dozen spears
+with which to fend off these peasants. Ah, there goes the hammer
+again!"
+
+A terrific blow resounded upon the door, which was followed almost
+immediately by a sharp report from the ledge above, and then by a
+howl. The blacksmith had not lived to see the triumph that he had
+anticipated. One of the French troopers had leaned over and shot
+him with his carbine. But the shot made little difference. A dozen
+infuriated peasants sprang forward to seize the hammer, while shots
+came from all directions. Then, amidst the sounds, steps were heard
+on the narrow staircase leading from the ledge.
+
+"Monsieur," said the man, running up to Tom, "there are men bringing
+masses of straw to pile against the door. My comrades have discovered
+a gallery leading from the ledge, with steps at the far end. There is
+a large room also, and much building material there. It seems that at
+one time the church was larger. Will monsieur sanction the tossing of
+stones on the heads of the enemy?"
+
+Tom nodded promptly, his features lighting up. By the aid of the
+flickering torch the trooper was able to see that the young fellow
+who had so suddenly taken command of the party was actually smiling.
+
+"_Ma foi!_" he exclaimed _sotto voce_, "but the Englishman cares
+nothing for this trouble! He is the one to lead."
+
+"I will come up as soon as I am able," said Tom. "Meanwhile, do as
+best you can. Toss anything on their heads, but, above all, save
+ammunition."
+
+The man was gone in a moment, while blows again sounded on the door,
+one more violent than any which had preceded it shattering the upper
+hinges. The shouts of triumph which burst from the peasants were
+followed by a couple or more dull thuds, as if heavy bodies had
+been dropped on the heads of the attackers, and then by a chorus
+of shrieks denoting hatred and execration. Meanwhile a stir in the
+church told of men struggling at some task, and presently Andrews
+appeared with his helpers, and behind them the carcass of a horse.
+
+"He fell dead in a hollow leading to a doorway," explained Andrews in
+short gasps, "and to bring him here we had to drag him up a couple
+of high steps. Once on the main floor of the church the carcass slid
+easily enough; but earlier--my word it was hard work! There! the
+carcass fills the lower part of the doorway, and as the legs are in
+this direction those brutes will have nothing to take a grip of. What
+orders, sir?"
+
+"Pull the pews out of their places and pile them one on another round
+the doorway," answered Tom, who had been sketching out his plans in
+the meanwhile. "You and Howeley and two of the troopers will take
+post on them a little to one side, and will fire into the crowd
+once the doors give way. The other men will be below you, and I am
+supplying them with spears made from the timbers of some of the
+pews. You and they together should be able to keep the enemy off."
+
+It may be imagined that each man amongst the defenders appointed
+to some task had laboured at it with all haste, and by now the men
+Tom had instructed to break up pews had almost finished their work.
+Indeed, within a few minutes, and just before the doors were burst
+in and fell over the carcass of the horse with a clatter, they had
+produced more than a dozen long pieces of strong timber, each one
+roughly hacked to a point at one end; and being some fifteen feet in
+length these improvised spears promised to be of great service. In a
+few seconds, in fact, they were put to a useful if somewhat unkind
+purpose; for the fall of the doors was the signal for a mad rush on
+the part of the peasants. The three or four hundred or more outside,
+howling about the entrance to the church, launched themselves
+promptly at the black void, where but a few moments before the flames
+from the torches had shown doors. A hundred struggled to lead the
+attackers where there was room only for half a dozen, and as a result
+they came surging on in a compact mass, which threatened to push
+the carcass of the horse aside as if it were a mere nothing. Then
+wiser counsels prevailed. Elbow room was given to those in advance,
+and soon shots were whistling through the doorway, while men armed
+with sabres, with pitchforks, with scythes and every class of weapon
+dashed up the steps and hurled themselves at the opening. Thud!
+thud! the stones came from the ledge above, striking the peasants
+down. The muskets wielded by Andrews and his comrades swept away the
+more dangerous of the enemy--those provided with firearms--while
+the troopers handling the long spears fashioned from pew timbers
+made effective use of their weird weapons. They thrust them at the
+enemy, giving terrible wounds. They beat them over the head till many
+dropped, and then advancing a pace or two, so that their weapons
+projected through the doorway over the carcass of the horse, they
+drove the peasants away from the entrance altogether.
+
+[Illustration: THE PEASANTS BREAK IN THE CHURCH DOORS]
+
+"Stop firing!" shouted Tom, seeing that the peasants were retreating.
+
+"We have taught them a sharp lesson, and that is enough for the
+moment. We don't want to rouse their anger further, and will try to
+show them that all we want is to be left alone, but that if they
+attack us we are fully able to give hard knocks in return. Anyone
+hurt?"
+
+He repeated the words in French, and was relieved to hear that not
+one of the men had received so much as a scratch.
+
+"Then we are well out of the first attack. Now we'll eat," he said.
+"We shall have to go on short rations without a doubt, and since that
+can't be helped we must make the most of it."
+
+Leaving a man still in the belfry, and one of the troopers on the
+ledge, he posted two others at the rear of the church. Then he
+and Andrews, with the help of two of the troopers, collected all
+the rations contained in the saddle bags, divided them into four
+portions, and finally issued a share of one portion to each one of
+the defenders. Thereafter they sat in the darkness eating the food,
+while, there being no news of the enemy, who seemed to have retired
+to the village, some of the men went to sleep, while others lit pipes
+and smoked contentedly. Tom sat down beside Mr. Riley and Jack, and
+devoured his own meal with an avidity which showed that excitement
+rather increased his appetite than the reverse.
+
+"Splendidly managed, lad!" declared Mr. Riley, when he had finished
+the meal. "Not the eating of your rations, but the defence. Dear,
+dear, what a loss to the service!"
+
+"Which service, sir?" asked Jack swiftly, for though wounded, and
+more or less incapable, the old spirit was still there. There was,
+in fact, a cheeky grin of enquiry on his somewhat pallid features,
+a pallor made even more evident by the flickering flame of a torch
+burning near the trio.
+
+"Eh?" asked Mr. Riley, taken aback. "Which service? _The_ service, I
+said."
+
+"Army?" grinned Jack exasperatingly.
+
+"I'll hammer you, my lad, when once you're fit," laughed the naval
+officer. "As if anyone could misunderstand me! I say that _the_
+service has lost a budding Nelson--a Nelson, Jack; as good a man as
+ever trod a deck. Tom's a loss to the service, now isn't he?"
+
+"Army; yes, sir," grinned Jack, rolling his eyes at the naval officer.
+
+"Joking apart, though," said Mr. Riley, ignoring the fun of the
+ensign, "Tom'll be a loss in an office. Just imagine our friend
+perched on a high stool battling with facts and figures, when
+he's shown he's capable of battling with people. Tom, I call it
+a downright sin. If you were my brother I'd say 'Go hang' to the
+office."
+
+"Hear, hear!" cried Jack. "If Tom'd just give it up for a time and
+come along with us, why, I'd----"
+
+"You?" interrupted Mr. Riley, with a smile of incredulity; for though
+Jack was undoubtedly dashing and gallant enough, he lacked the
+stamina and serious thought of one who leads.
+
+"I," repeated the incorrigible ensign, "_I_--with a capital to it,
+please--I'd make the dear boy a general before he knew what was
+happening."
+
+There was a roar of laughter at that, a roar which brought the
+troopers to a sitting posture, their fingers on their carbines. And
+then a smile was exchanged amongst them.
+
+"_Parbleu!_ but these English are proper fellows," said one to his
+comrade. "They come to us as prisoners, and we see at once that they
+are good comrades. They fall into the same trap with us too, and,
+having received arms, act as if they were French and not English.
+Now, one of them having saved the lives of all here, and having
+brought us to a nest which may be described as that of a hornet,
+they laugh and joke and make merry. _Ma foi!_ but these English are
+too good to fight with. It is the rascals of Spaniards we should
+engage with."
+
+"Hear 'em!" grunted the rifleman Howeley, stretched near his comrade
+Andrews. "That 'ere Mr. Jack's a givin' lip to the naval orficer. Ten
+ter one he's sayin' as how the British army's better nor the navy.
+Equal, I says, all the time, though the army's my choice. Mate, who's
+this Mr. Clifford? What's his corps? He's a smart 'un."
+
+His mouth went agape when the worthy Andrews informed him that Tom
+was merely a civilian, a class upon which Howeley had, in his own
+particular lordly way, been rather apt to look down.
+
+"Civilian!" he gasped. "Strike me! But----"
+
+"He's led us grandly. He's dropped into the post of commander as
+if he had been trained for it, as if it were his by right. I know
+all that," declared Andrews. "Tell you, my lad, he'd make a proper
+soldier."
+
+Meanwhile Tom had faced the naval lieutenant eagerly.
+
+"You think I'd do as an officer, sir?" he asked.
+
+"Indeed I do," came the answer. "A regular could not have done better
+than you have done. You'll be a loss----"
+
+"To the army," burst in the irrepressible Jack, grinning widely.
+
+"To either service," said Mr. Riley seriously.
+
+"Then, sir, I shall ask to join the army," declared our hero. "I seem
+to have been meant for it. This is the second time that my efforts
+to reach an office have been foiled. I shall attempt to obtain a
+commission; then I'll see what can be done to help Jack to capture
+Boney and turn the French out of the Peninsula."
+
+There was more laughter at that, laughter turned on the young ensign.
+A little later Mr. Riley dragged a paper from his pocket and slowly
+read a few lines to our hero.
+
+"You'll be interested to hear what is happening," he said.
+"Bonaparte, otherwise known as Napoleon, sometimes also as the
+'Little Corporal', or as the 'Little Corsican', Emperor of the
+French, now proposes to leave the Peninsula and march from Paris
+_en route_ for Russia, which kingdom he wishes to conquer and add
+to his realms. Napoleon is not, in fact, satisfied with the whole
+of France, Italy, and other kingdoms. He desires to place the whole
+of Europe under one king, that king to be himself; to have but one
+capital for all, and that Paris; one code of laws, one currency, one
+language perhaps. It is Russia that now attracts him. To-morrow--who
+knows?--it will be England."
+
+"But----" flashed out Jack, indignant at the very suggestion.
+
+"Quite so," admitted Mr. Riley, stopping him with a smile; "but, as
+Jack was about to announce, there is always the service."
+
+"Eh?" asked the ensign, puzzled for the moment.
+
+"_The_ service stands in his way. Nelson defeated his navy in 1805,
+and thereby made invasion of England impossible. _The_ service,
+please, Mr. Jack."
+
+Jack was caught, and had the grace to admit it. "I grant you that
+Trafalgar was a tremendous victory, sir," he said. "But there's the
+army to be considered also."
+
+"Right, lad," came the emphatic reply. "And well they have done too.
+See what wonders Wellington and his men have accomplished in the
+Peninsula."
+
+"Tell us all about it, Mr. Riley," asked Tom. "I'm like hundreds of
+others. I know that Napoleon desires to conquer all within his reach,
+and is said to have designs on England. I know, too, that our troops
+have been in this Peninsula since 1808, fighting the battles of the
+Portuguese and Spanish, and with great success. But why should we not
+have left them to it? I suppose we're afraid that Boney will become
+altogether too strong unless we interfere. Isn't that it? I haven't
+followed the various engagements, of which there have been numbers."
+
+"Then here's for a yarn," began the naval lieutenant. "Those
+peasants, poor fools, have left us alone for the time being, and
+as my wound is too painful to let me sleep, and this Jack seems
+to be eager for information, why, I'll tell you the tale, and
+mighty fine hearing it makes. To begin with, we hark back to the
+'Little Corsican', the artillery officer--a commoner, you must
+understand--who, by dint of sheer force of character and military
+and diplomatic genius, became Emperor of the French after that
+awful Revolution. Let us understand the position thoroughly. You
+have on the throne of France a man born in a lowly station. There
+is no long list of kingly ancestors behind him. Louis Capet, late
+King of France, was beheaded. The kingdom had become a republic,
+where equality and fraternity were supposed to flourish, and where
+the people were still shivering after the awful ordeals through
+which they had passed, scarcely able to believe that the days of
+the guillotine had really gone--those terrible days when no man, or
+woman either, knew whether the next day or so would or would not see
+himself or herself sent to sudden doom.
+
+"At this moment Napoleon Bonaparte, a distinguished soldier, appeared
+upon the scene, and we find him in the course of a little time
+Emperor of the French, rich, all-powerful, and extremely ambitious.
+That ambition which might, had he wished it, have turned towards
+the path of peace, has been resolutely bent towards conquest. As I
+have said, Napoleon seeks to subjugate Europe. He dreams of a world
+power, with Paris as the centre and hub of that huge empire, and
+himself ruler over millions of downtrodden people. Doubtless England
+would have shared the same fate as other nations, and would have been
+overrun by French troops and mercenaries, had it not been for our
+navy. That is the arm, my lads, which has kept us free of invasion,
+that still sweeps the seas, and keeps French transports from
+venturing across to our tight little island."
+
+"Then, if that is so," ventured Tom, "why not confine our efforts to
+the sea? At Trafalgar we beat the French and Spanish fleets combined.
+Why then should we now take the side of the Spaniards?"
+
+"A fair question, and easily answered," smiled Mr. Riley. "Here is
+the plain, unvarnished explanation. You may say, putting sentiment
+and natural sympathy apart, that it is nothing to us that Napoleon
+has thrust his brother on the Spanish throne, displacing the rightful
+ruler; or if he subjugates Russia, putting a ruler of his own choice
+on the throne there also. You may argue that that is no affair of
+England's. But let us look at the certain results of such success
+on his part. He conquers a kingdom, and straightway has all the
+resources of that kingdom at his command. Its men are at his service,
+its fleets also; his armies and his navy are greatly increased in
+power thereby. Thus, first with one addition and then with another to
+this world power he seeks, Napoleon arrives at a point where he can
+destroy England in spite of her navy. There you find a reason for our
+actions, and for the presence of our troops here in the Peninsula. We
+fight to free the peoples here, thereby reducing Napoleon's power. We
+seize this opportunity because the peoples of the Peninsula will have
+none of Napoleon's ruling. The countries seethe with indignation,
+there are riots everywhere. Let us but drive him and his troops out
+of the Peninsula, and Napoleon himself meet with reverses elsewhere,
+and all the downtrodden peoples he has already conquered will turn
+upon him. There will be a great alliance against this despot, and
+in the course of time, in spite of his gigantic armies and their
+undoubtedly fine organization, we shall wrest his power from him,
+perhaps even his kingdom."
+
+That was exactly what England was striving for in those days. It may
+almost be said that a parallel situation had arisen to that which
+beset the people of England in the days of Good Queen Bess. Then
+Spain was a world power; that is to say, she owned amongst other
+possessions those American colonies that brought her so much wealth.
+The Gulf of Mexico saw many of her ships; her vessels, of enormous
+tonnage when compared with those of England at that time, sailed from
+the coast of Mexico laden with jewels and gold and wealth wrung from
+the natives, those Astec people who displayed such gentleness of
+character, such civilized habits, alongside of a barbarous custom of
+human sacrifice to which the world has seen no equal, not even in the
+days of King Coffee in Ashantee. Wealth can buy power; it purchases
+ships, and if there be the men to man them, then a wealthy nation can
+endow itself with a fleet which may be the terror of its neighbours.
+That was the position between Spain and England in those days. That
+Armada was preparing. It aimed at the subjugation of England, and the
+story is well enough known how Drake and his admirals set forth in
+their tiny ships, manned by men who may be said to have been born
+aboard them, and in spite of the size of the galleons of the Armada,
+in spite of paucity of numbers and shortness of ammunition, contrived
+to break up the huge fleet when almost within sight of our shores.
+That was nearly a parallel situation. Now, instead of Spain, France
+aimed at our invasion, its Emperor Napoleon being ambitious to add
+England to the other nations he was bringing beneath his sway. Who
+knows what might have happened had there been no sea to contend with
+and no fleet? But we may fairly surmise that this country would have
+given a good account of herself, for already her armies in Portugal
+and Spain had chastised the French. Whatever the result under such
+circumstances, there was that sea to contend with, and Nelson and his
+admirals had so carefully watched it, and had fought so strenuously,
+that the fleet of France had been annihilated at Trafalgar. Thus
+the fear of invasion was gone for the moment. We had the future to
+consider, and, thoughtful of our own security and of the danger
+which would surely arise again so soon as Napoleon had brought
+Europe beneath his sway, we sent our troops to the Peninsula, there
+to oppose the man whose restless ambition kept the west in a state
+of turmoil, whose decree held thousands and thousands of men under
+arms when they might have been engaged in some peaceful occupation,
+and whose constant succession of skirmishes and battles filled the
+hospitals of Europe, sent thousands of maimed wretches back to their
+homes, and crowded the cemeteries. That was the direct result of
+Napoleon's ambitious policy, of his aggression, and let those who
+hold him up as a hero think of the unhappy wretches who suffered
+pain, and whose cries of anguish are now forgotten. Let them remember
+the huge number of young men in the first blush of life who found a
+grave on the many battlefields of Europe.
+
+But that was the position before Napoleon set his eyes on the
+Peninsula, determining to place his brother on the throne of Spain
+and so bring the entire nation under his power. It was this latter
+period which was of greatest interest to our hero, and he listened
+eagerly while Mr. Riley told of the landing of our troops in
+Portugal, of their hardships, and of the strenuous fighting they had
+experienced.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+A Tight Corner
+
+
+"Now for our troops and the Peninsula," said Mr. Riley, settling
+himself in a corner of the old church and fixing his eyes for a few
+moments on the flaming and smoking torch which illuminated that part.
+"Those peasants seem to have decided to leave us alone for to-night,
+so that we have the time between this and the morning to ourselves. I
+imagine, too, that we may be congratulated; since it is easier for a
+few to defend a given place when they have daylight to help them. Ah,
+the sentry moves!"
+
+In the dim light cast by the torch they saw the trooper whom Tom had
+stationed at the open doors of the place slowly rise to his feet and
+peer out. A minute later they watched as he levelled his musket. Then
+he seemed to change his mind, for of a sudden he dropped the weapon
+softly to the ground and gripped his sabre. And there he remained, in
+a posture that showed preparedness, for all the world like a tiger
+ready to spring. Nor was it long before he suddenly awoke to action;
+for there came a sound from outside the door, and a dull murmur
+echoed from the distance. Creeping silently towards him, Tom peered
+through the doorway over his shoulder, and for a time saw nothing.
+Then, in the distance, he thought he could distinguish a dark mass
+between himself and the village, while nearer at hand there were two
+figures.
+
+"Going to try a surprise," he told himself. "They have sent two of
+their most daring spirits ahead, and will follow immediately."
+
+Promptly he crept away to warn the men, who by now were asleep
+for the most part; and very quietly they mustered about the door,
+while those on guard at the various danger spots about the building
+retained their positions.
+
+"Gather about the door and pick up your spears," he warned the men
+in a whisper. "Leave the two who are creeping on to the sentry and
+Andrews."
+
+The stalwart rifleman had already taken his post beside the sentry,
+armed just as he was with a sabre, and there, like cats waiting to
+pounce, they crouched. Peering out again over the carcass of the
+horse, Tom saw two heads appear, and then three more immediately
+behind them. One of the peasants almost instantly leaped on to the
+carcass, and was joined there within a second by a comrade. There was
+a loud shout from one, as if to signal to the mass behind, and then
+he and his fellow leaped into the church, while others appeared just
+behind the carcass of the horse.
+
+"On them!" shouted the gallant Andrews. "Cut them down! Back with
+them!"
+
+He threw himself at the attackers, and the trooper with him. For a
+minute perhaps there was a fierce scuffle, and then the two retired,
+as their work was accomplished. Both the daring spirits who had
+invaded the church had paid the penalty of their rashness and lay
+dead upon the floor. But the others were by no means disheartened. It
+appeared that a dozen or more had crept forward, and with loud shouts
+they now rushed at the opening.
+
+"Keep them off with the spears. Don't fire unless you are compelled,"
+Tom ordered loudly. "We've shown them that we are ready for them, and
+the less fuss we make about the matter the more they will fear us in
+the future. Ah, here they come!"
+
+By now a surging crowd had arrived outside the church, and once more
+the scene of a little time before was repeated. Muskets and ancient
+firearms were discharged from every point, and in the most haphazard
+fashion. Indeed it may be said that in this respect the attackers
+were as dangerous to one another as to the defenders of the church.
+A hundred frenzied creatures hurled themselves into the doorway,
+and for a while it looked as if they would sweep all before them.
+But those deadly spears, harmless though they looked on a casual
+inspection, did the work expected of them. Men were tossed back with
+jagged wounds in the chest. Others were felled with blows over the
+head, while in many instances the attackers were pushed away by sheer
+strength. Then, at a signal from Tom, four of the defenders joined
+Andrews and the sentry, each armed with sabres, and fell furiously
+upon the mob. Shrieks filled the air; the maddened peasants dropped
+their weapons and endeavoured to grapple with the soldiers. They bit
+at the men and fought like fiends. Then some turned, pressing away
+from the door, but only to be thrust forward again by the weight
+of those behind them. It was a startled cry from someone in the
+background which at length caused the mob to retire; a sudden panic
+seemed to seize them and in a little while they were racing pell mell
+from the building.
+
+"Now go back to your corners and sleep," said Tom. "We have taught
+them another lesson, and next time they will not be quite so bold.
+Let us have a look at these fellows."
+
+He took the torch and leaned over the two men who had been cut down
+by Andrews and the trooper. They were powerful fellows, armed with
+billhooks and had their boots thickly wrapped with straw so as to
+deaden the sound of their coming.
+
+"Put them outside," he ordered, "and to-morrow, at the first streak
+of dawn, we will send out a party to remove the other bodies. We
+may be cooped up here for a week, and things would then become
+unpleasant. That reminds me; there's the question of food and water.
+Well, that must settle itself; we'll wait for morning."
+
+There was nothing else to be done; therefore, having posted his
+sentries, and cautioned them to be very watchful, Tom retired to the
+corner in which he had left Mr. Riley and Jack.
+
+"A nice little skirmish, Tom," said the former. "By the time you
+join the army you'll have become a veteran. These little conflicts
+are all good practice, for if I am not mistaken the peasants will
+make tremendous efforts when the day comes. But sit down. I'm eager
+to tell my tale before another disturbance comes. Where was I?
+Oh, I remember! We were talking of the troops in the Peninsula.
+You understand that Napoleon's armies were massed at this time
+in both Portugal and Spain. Well, Wellington--then Sir Arthur
+Wellesley--sailed from Cork in July, 1808, with some ten thousand
+men, and landed near Oporto. An experienced general such as he was,
+one, too, fresh from conquests in India, was not likely to let the
+grass grow beneath his feet, and almost at once he had a nice little
+skirmish with the French at Brilos and at Rolica, causing Laborde,
+their commander, to withdraw.
+
+"He would have pushed on at once without a doubt, but information
+now reached him that General Anstruther had landed at Peniche, and,
+it being important to join hands with him, he left Laborde for the
+moment and marched to meet the new arrivals. Almost at once General
+Sir Harry Burrard appeared upon the scene, with orders from the Home
+authorities to take the chief command; for these authorities were
+for ever changing their minds. You observe that they send Wellesley
+to the Peninsula, a general with a great and recent reputation,
+and replace him within a few days by a second general, who, however
+skilled, had certainly not the experience of the brilliant officer
+first selected. At this time the British force was encamped at
+Vimeiro, and a fierce engagement followed, forced upon our troops
+by the French, and arising at that point where Wellesley's own
+particular command was located. He beat the French handsomely, after
+a fierce engagement in which both sides fought most gallantly,
+and having done so, and received the congratulations of Sir Harry
+Burrard, Wellesley promptly found himself the third in command
+instead of the second; for Sir Hugh Dalrymple now arrived to take
+command of the invading force, thus displaying a further change of
+policy on the part of the vacillating Ministry then in charge of our
+affairs.
+
+"And now we must switch off from the forces engaged in and about
+Oporto," said Mr. Riley, hitching himself a little higher in his
+corner and crossing his legs for greater comfort. "We come to the
+doings of Sir John Moore, a commander who won the esteem of Napoleon
+himself, and whose memory will be ever honoured amongst the French.
+And just let me digress for a moment. It is perhaps a most suitable
+opportunity, too, for bringing the matter forward, seeing that we
+are here prisoners in a sense of the French, and yet, if I make no
+mistake, in command of them."
+
+He smiled quizzingly at Tom, and laughed aloud when the latter
+coloured.
+
+"I--I couldn't well help it, sir," stuttered our hero, as if ashamed
+of his action. "You see, there we were in a hole, and----"
+
+Mr. Riley's laughter cut short the speech.
+
+"I was only poking fun, lad," he smiled. "We all bless you for your
+gallant intervention. But let me mention this matter. It is an
+opportune moment, I say. I was speaking of Sir John Moore, and the
+honour the French had for him. Look at the position throughout. Lads,
+we are fighting gentlemen, that is the consensus of opinion amongst
+officers and in the ranks. The French have fought us right gallantly.
+They at least are open enemies, but the Spaniards, for whose help
+we are here, disgust us. There are times, I hear, when our troops
+wish matters were different, and the Spaniards the real enemies, and
+sometimes the Portuguese also, for they pretend friendship, while
+everywhere there are traitors, everywhere men in authority amongst
+them--nobles and others who form the Juntas or Parliaments which
+govern the countries now--who oppose the men who have come to free
+their countries in every possible way, who are mean and contemptible
+in their dealings with them, whose policy changes from day to day and
+who appear at times to act as if they wished the French to remain
+victorious. There! I have had my growl. Napoleon is a great man, no
+doubt, with dangerous ambitions, dangerous, that is to say, to the
+nations surrounding France. The French officers and men, I repeat,
+are gentlemen, with whom it is an honour to cross swords. Now let
+me get to the subject of Sir John Moore and his unlucky army of
+penetration."
+
+"And the retreat, which has become famous," said Jack, becoming
+serious for a moment.
+
+"Quite so, and very rightly too; for the retreat which followed the
+forward march of Sir John Moore's army was conducted in a manner that
+has won the praise of all. He marched for Madrid on 18 October, with
+some 30,000 infantry and 5000 cavalry, all wearing the red cockade
+of Spain in their caps. And perhaps it will be well to tell you at
+this point that the efforts of our troops elsewhere in the command
+of Wellesley, or of the other generals whom the changing policy of
+our British Ministers had sent to conduct affairs, had resulted in an
+agreement with the French, whereby Portugal was evacuated by their
+forces and all strong places in that country given up to our men.
+
+"Having mentioned that, I can now explain that Sir John Moore's army
+was to carry the war into Spain, and marching in the direction of
+Madrid to combine with the Spaniards and attempt to oust the invading
+armies of Napoleon. On 13 November we hear of him at Salamanca; and
+now we have an illustration of the weak and vacillating action of
+the Spanish Junta, combined with as equally blameworthy action on
+the part of Mr. Frere, our ambassador in Spain. Where the greatest
+pains should have been taken to supply Sir John Moore with accurate
+information concerning the movements of the enemy, the utmost
+carelessness seems to have been the order of the day. As a result,
+Sir John was in the dangerous dilemma of not knowing whether the
+circumstances warranted his pushing on towards Madrid, or whether he
+ought at once to begin a retreat towards the coast or into Portugal.
+It was not, in fact, till an evening in December, when already the
+winter was upon him, that he had certain information that Napoleon
+himself was massing all his troops, and that in cavalry alone he
+outnumbered the British by 12,000. Such information set our troops
+retreating rapidly by way of the Galician mountains, and hot in
+pursuit marched 255,000 men, with 50,000 horses, while a force of
+32,000 kept in rear and held the lines of communication.
+
+"To describe the many incidents of that memorable march would require
+a length of time, and since we ought already to be asleep, preparing
+ourselves for trouble to-morrow, I will merely sketch the events
+which followed. For 250 miles our troops were harassed by the enemy's
+cavalry, and daily there were severe skirmishes between our rearguard
+and the French. Recollect that it was winter, and that the line of
+retreat passed amongst the mountains, where our columns trudged
+through valleys and over passes covered deep in snow. It is not
+difficult to realize the terrible work this entailed, how the cold
+and exposure and constant need for exertion told on men and beasts.
+One can readily perceive that baggage animals broke down under the
+strain, and that presently the army found itself compelled to carry
+its own provisions. Add to the difficulties of the cold and snow
+and the mountainous route the fact that a horde of non-combatants
+accompanied the army, servants, grooms, wives and children of the
+soldiers, and one sees the possibilities of added difficulty and
+misery. Soon men and women began to fall by the way, as had the
+horses and mules. They lagged behind, wearied and utterly careless in
+their misery of the consequences. Frozen and starved they lay down
+by the way, and soon the snow hid them. And always a cloud of French
+horsemen followed, seeking every opportunity to charge, and dashing
+in amongst the stragglers and helpless. No wonder that the army
+dwindled. No wonder that its numbers fell away till but a portion
+remained. But still the retreat proceeded, and ever the gallant
+rearguard held the French at bay.
+
+"On the last day of 1808 Moore quitted Astorga in Léon. On the very
+next, the first day of 1809, Napoleon entered the same place with
+80,000 men, his advance guard of relentless cavalry being still in
+touch with our men. There the great Bonaparte remained, leaving the
+final work to the Duke of Dalmatia, and conceiving it certain that
+the whole British army would be exterminated. Well they might have
+been too, for here we have an example of what I have mentioned.
+Along the line of retreat, when the Spanish authorities could have,
+and should have, made full preparations to supply our troops and
+followers with rations and all that they required, they did nothing
+to help. Even food was not forthcoming, so that our desperate and
+hungry men were forced to pillage the inhabitants.
+
+"It is a sad tale, lads," said Mr. Riley after a pause, "but a
+gallant tale also, for Sir John and his fine fellows at length
+reached Corunna, with but 14,000 all told, but with their cannon,
+their colours, and their trophies intact. In fact they came to the
+coast covered with honour and renown, but starved and frost-bitten,
+and minus many and many a comrade. And there more fighting was
+necessary, for our fleet was not in sight. The battle of Corunna
+which followed ended in victory for us, but cost the lives of many
+gallant fellows, and of that of Sir John Moore amongst them. Then
+our troops embarked, the fleet having arrived meanwhile, and as
+they sailed away, there, above the citadel where Sir John and many
+a gallant comrade was buried, flew the flag of France, not at the
+summit of the post, but half-masted, in respect for one who had
+proved an able and a courageous leader. That, my lads, was another
+proof of the feelings of the enemy for us. If fight we must,
+Frenchmen at least have that generosity of feeling which allows them
+to pay honour to a brave enemy."
+
+The naval lieutenant sat back once more in his corner, his eyes fixed
+upon the flaming torch. Tom looked over at the sentry, standing alert
+and without a movement just behind the carcass of the horse. And
+straightway he wondered whether he would live to take part in such a
+retreat as that of Sir John Moore, and whether, should he be involved
+in such an affair, he would conduct himself as became a British
+officer. Then Mr. Riley's voice once more broke the silence.
+
+"We have heard of the opening events of this Peninsula War," he
+said. "Napoleon's invasion of Spain, and his placing of his brother
+Joseph on the throne without the wish or consent of the people, had
+resulted in some passages of arms between the French and English
+which must have opened the eyes of Bonaparte. But it did not deter
+him. Following the embarkation of Sir John Moore's army, he ordered
+the invasion of Portugal again, and in a little while Soult, a famous
+French marshal, held that country right down to the River Douro.
+
+"Once more I will sketch the events which followed. Wellesley, again
+in chief command, marched against the enemy, forced the passage of
+the Douro, in itself a most brilliant undertaking, and drove the
+French back into Spain. Following Marshal Soult, Wellesley crossed
+the frontier in June, 1809, with but 20,000 British troops, though he
+had some 57,000 Spanish and Portuguese soldiers to aid him, the great
+majority being merely irregulars. These latter were under various
+commanders, of whom I can call to memory at the moment Cuesta, the
+Spanish commander-in-chief, a useless person; Romana, Blake, and
+Beresford.
+
+"At this moment the French were disposed as follows: Victor, with
+some 20,000 men, was on the Tagus. Sebastiani was in La Mancha with
+a force not quite so strong. Thousands were collected about Madrid,
+in Galicia, Léon, and Old Castille also, while there was a division
+of cavalry and 40,000 infantry stationed in Aragon and Catalonia.
+Their very numbers give you an idea of the almost impossible task
+imposed upon our forces. Wellesley, in fact, having entered Spain and
+approached Talavera, found himself opposed to Marshal Victor, who had
+King Joseph in rear, with Marshal Sebastiani's corps to aid him.
+
+"We now arrive at the first battle of importance in the Peninsula
+campaign. Talavera is a name which will be borne upon the colours
+of many a regiment with lasting honour, for the fight was a fierce
+and desperate one, and our victory was won only after great losses.
+The battle itself was preceded by two engagements at least of some
+importance, in one of which 10,000 Spanish troops distinguished
+themselves by fleeing before they had come to grips with the enemy.
+
+"Following Talavera, the smallness of our numbers and the utter
+failure of the Spanish Junta to help with supplies and material
+caused Sir Arthur Wellesley to retire over the Tagus into Portugal
+once more, where he went into winter quarters. But the movement had
+the consequences one would have anticipated. The French determined
+upon another invasion of Portugal, when they hoped to drive the
+British from the country, and in 1810 they came in three columns,
+under the supreme command of Marshal Massena, with Junot, Ney, and
+Regnier as column commanders. Lord Wellington--for he had now been
+granted that title as a reward for his conspicuous services--retired
+in good order to the heights of Busaco, where a terrific conflict
+followed, the British troops successfully resisting the onslaught
+of the French columns. Then, finding his flank turned, Wellington
+retired to the lines of Torres Vedras, lines which he had been
+secretly fortifying, where he might, should the French come down
+upon him in overwhelming numbers, mass his men and still hold on to
+a portion of Portugal. There, in fact, he remained defying the enemy
+and covering Lisbon effectually.
+
+"Thus ended the year 1810, an eventful year in the history of this
+Peninsula War, for it saw at its termination a thin line of British
+red opposed to masses of French troops who now held, not Spain alone,
+but even Portugal, right down to the heights of Torres Vedras,
+behind which Wellington and his men remained defiant, clinging to
+that promontory on which is situated Lisbon. In fact they were
+clinging tenaciously to the country, their fortunes seemingly rather
+worse than they had been, though a huge advantage had been gained,
+inasmuch as Napoleon and his hosts had learned that a few British
+troops skilfully handled were easily a match for them. Nor was it
+likely that we would give up the conflict. The year 1811, the year in
+which we now are, began brilliantly. You may say that you are in the
+midst of renewed exertions on the part of that brilliant general who
+leads us; while before us there is an immense work to be done. Lads,
+we have to regain Portugal before we think of ousting the French
+from Spain, which will be a gigantic undertaking, with fighting in
+abundance."
+
+Jack and Tom pricked up their ears at the news. Indeed we may say
+that the former had till now been filled with that vague fear which
+comes to the heart of many and many a soldier who is sent to join his
+regiment at war. He wonders whether his own arrival will coincide
+with the defeat of the enemy, whether he will arrive too late to take
+part in the stirring events to which he had looked forward.
+
+"Then there'll be a chance," blurted out Jack, sitting up, and giving
+a sharp cry of pain, for in his eagerness he had forgotten his wound.
+
+"For you to teach Tom, and help him to become a general! Yes,"
+laughed the naval officer, "heaps!"
+
+"And you think, sir, that I shall be able to get a commission?" asked
+our hero, with some amount of misgiving.
+
+"I believe that if you manage to bring us out of this hole, and
+still evade a French prison, you will be offered one promptly,"
+came the gratifying reply. "But let me complete my task. We enter
+upon this year of grace 1811. Let us look towards Badajoz, on the
+River Guadiana, south of the Tagus. Soult advanced in this direction
+to open up communications with Massena, who was massed with his
+regiments on the Tagus. Wellington also advanced, and, leaving the
+strong, fortified lines of Torres Vedras, crossed the Guadiana,
+leaving Beresford with some 7000 British troops, and a large number
+of Portuguese, to invest Badajoz. Crossing the Tagus, Wellington now
+marched north towards Ciudad Rodrigo, whence Massena had taken his
+troops, and established himself between the Rivers Agueda and Coa,
+and within striking distance of Almeida, where was a force of the
+enemy. Massena advanced against him, and our troops at once took
+position on the heights of Fuentes d'Onoro, where a terrific battle
+was fought, resulting in a victory for us. The French abandoned
+Almeida, while Massena was recalled.
+
+"Now we turn south again to Badajoz, for the French had retired
+to Salamanca, that is, the troops lately engaged with Wellington.
+Soult had been reinforced, and was well on his way to relieve the
+place invested by Beresford, and, as a consequence, the latter
+was forced to raise the siege, and though he could have retired
+he preferred to choose a ground for fighting and give battle. He
+took post at Albuera, knowing that Wellington was hastening to his
+help, his troops consisting of those 7000 British, and of Spaniards
+and Portuguese, the former commanded by Blake, whose arrogance and
+jealousy hindered the commander not a little. It disgusts one to
+have to record that many of these allies proved worse than useless
+when in face of the enemy, and that but for the sturdy backbone of
+British the battle would have been lost. It was, I am told, a most
+confused affair, made glorious by the tenacity and bull-dog courage
+of our men in face of terrible odds, and with the knowledge that
+those who should have aided them, and been in the forefront, were
+often skulking in the rear. The losses on both sides were huge, but
+the battle ended in Soult retiring, while Beresford gathered together
+his almost shattered forces as best he could, Blake, who should have
+helped, even refusing him bearers for his wounded. Thereafter the
+siege of Badajoz was once more entered upon, while one must mention
+a brilliant little land cutting-out expedition, where, at Arroyo de
+Molinos, General Roland Hill broke up a force of the enemy under
+Girard, capturing men, guns, and baggage.
+
+"Barossa, too, is worthy of more than passing mention, for the battle
+was hardly fought by our men. You must understand that troops had
+been dispatched to Cadiz, where the Spaniards grudgingly gave them
+entry, and these sailed later on for Algeciras, where they effected
+a landing. Then, with some 12,000 Spaniards, under La Pena, 4000
+of our men marched against Marshal Victor's forces. Here again we
+have the same tale of Spanish treachery, jealousy, and cowardice.
+That movement ended in the British troops being left almost entirely
+alone to withstand the onslaught of the French legions. Yet, in
+spite of that, Barossa, where our troops were, saw Victor's ranks
+shattered, and added one more to the many victories gained by our
+gallant fellows in the Peninsula.
+
+"And now I come to the end of my tale. Owing to the junction of the
+enemy under Soult, and those divisions in the north, Wellington
+abandoned the siege of Badajoz, and advanced to the Tagus. Thence he
+crossed in the direction of Ciudad Rodrigo, and once more took up a
+position between the Coa and the Agueda, discovering the countryside
+utterly swept by the French. The latest dispatches from the Peninsula
+have told of burned villages, of ruined homesteads, of starving and
+infuriated peasants. Detached parties of horse have ridden through
+the country, sweeping it clean as the French retired, and no doubt
+these fine fellows with whom we occupy this church have formed one
+of those parties. Bear in mind that they have merely obeyed orders.
+Because their countrymen have dealt severely with the Portuguese they
+may not have done so; and, in any case, recollect that war is a cruel
+game, and brings greater misery, perhaps, on non-combatants than upon
+those whose profession it is to fight. There! Out with the torch.
+Let's go to sleep. Who knows? to-morrow will make a second Wellington
+of our friend Tom, or will see us--er----"
+
+Jack put on a nervous grin. Tom's handsome face assumed a stern
+expression. He felt that it was not the time for joking, and, what
+was more, he felt that failure here would be a disgrace after the
+many brilliant battles of which Mr. Riley had been telling.
+
+"We'll pull out in the end, sir," he said with assurance. "What we've
+done already shall be done again. To-morrow--or is it to-day, for it
+is past midnight?--shall see these Portuguese fellows scuttling."
+
+The day, when it came, might bring about such a happy result. But
+then it might not. On the face of it, matters were desperate, for
+here were a mere handful opposed to crowds--crowds, too, incensed and
+filled with a dull and defiant hatred, which made success on their
+part a certain death warrant for the defenders of the village church.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+Tom changes Quarters
+
+
+Heavy drops of thunder rain, pattering upon the roof above and upon
+the stone flags that surrounded the front of the church, awakened
+Tom Clifford at early dawn on the morning after he had led the
+French troopers to their defensive post. Not that the rumbling
+thunder outside nor the patter of the raindrops awakened him to a
+sense of his position. For our hero had been sunk in a deep sleep,
+which nothing had disturbed up till this moment. Now, however, the
+disturbance gave rise in his half-slumbering brain to a train of
+thought which was half-delicious, half the reverse. For Tom was back
+again in his home, beneath the shadow of that grand mulberry tree,
+with Father Thames flowing past the forecourt silently, swiftly,
+incessantly, as if ever engaged upon a purpose. Yes, he was beneath
+the hospitable and safe roof of Septimus John Clifford & Son, Wine
+Merchants, with Marguerite as his chum and close attendant, with
+the ever-faithful Huggins, his father's senior clerk, to smile
+indulgently upon him, and Septimus John Clifford himself to praise
+his efforts to acquire Portuguese and Spanish and French.
+
+"Heigho!" he yawned loudly, stretching his arms wide apart. "Beastly
+stuff this Portuguese and French and Spanish," he babbled, still
+half-asleep. "Let's go out on the river, Marguerite."
+
+Then a shadow crossed the horizon of this pleasant half-waking dream.
+A youth slipped into the arena at the far corner, a youth of olive
+complexion, whose thin limbs writhed and twisted incongruously,
+whose fingers twitched and plucked at moving lips, and whose very
+appearance bespoke indecision, a wavering courage, meanness, and all
+that that implies. It was José, Tom's cousin, and his image drew a
+growl from our hero.
+
+"Always interfering and getting in the way," he grunted peevishly. "I
+have to watch him like a cat for fear he will illtreat his sister.
+Was there ever such a fellow?"
+
+The train of pleasant thought was switched off at once, and Tom
+dreamed the scenes through which he had passed. His seizure by those
+rascals, his impressment, and what had followed. Then a second figure
+thrust itself into the arena, and swept across his sluggish brain.
+It was that of a short man, of middle age, prone to stoutness; clean
+shaven, with features which attracted because of the obvious power
+they displayed, features set off by a pair of wonderfully steady
+and penetrating eyes that spoke of firmness of purpose, of ambition
+soaring to the heights, and--yes--of a relentless spirit which strove
+at the attainment of any and every object at whatever cost. It was
+Napoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte, the one-time Corporal, the Little
+Corsican, he who had attained to the throne of France, and now,
+spurred on by a restless ambition, sought to see himself emperor of
+all countries, ruler of Spain through his brother, now known as King
+Joseph, King of Portugal, and even the Lord of England. A crashing
+detonation brought Tom to his feet with a start, wide-eyed, and very
+much awake.
+
+"What's that?" he demanded, scarcely able to believe even now that he
+had been dreaming. Still, the presence of the trooper standing sentry
+at the door, and his obvious freedom from anxiety, reassured him. Ah,
+there was another detonation, and then a long-drawn-out rumble!
+
+"A summer storm, monsieur," said the trooper. "It will be a fine day
+yet, and the storm will clear the air. It gets light rapidly, and in
+a little while we shall be able to see the pigs who have attacked us."
+
+But Tom was thinking of something else beside the Portuguese peasants
+who sought to kill the little band of troopers, together with himself
+and his English companions. His thoughts suddenly turned to the
+urgent need of supplies. Water was wanted; it was running to waste
+outside.
+
+"Andrews!" he shouted, and at the order the stalwart rifleman
+stumbled forward, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Howeley being
+close behind him. In the dim light of the coming day they drew
+themselves erect as if by force of habit, and saluted, Howeley
+taking time by his comrade.
+
+"Sir!" they answered in one voice.
+
+"We want water. Hunt round to find some roof gutter and a tub, if
+there is such a thing. Get us a store somehow; it means life or death
+to us. I'll see to other matters."
+
+He saw the two set off at once, and then clambered up the steep
+flight of stone steps that led to the ledge above the broken door
+of the church. Standing upright there, he looked out towards the
+village, and found that he could already see the nearer houses. But
+a mist was rising, which, together with the heavy rain that was
+falling, made seeing rather difficult. Then, turning sharply to the
+left, he entered the room which the trooper had reported on the
+previous evening. The man lay at the entrance, with a comrade beside
+him, both sunk in deep sleep. But at Tom's coming they rose swiftly.
+
+"It was too dark to explore last night," said one of them, "but
+monsieur can see now that this is not only a church. There is a large
+building attached to it, perhaps the house occupied by the pastor.
+But it is empty, I think, for we have heard no sounds from it."
+
+"Then we will investigate," answered Tom. "Stay here, one of you,
+while you," and he indicated the man who had spoken, "bring your
+carbine and come with me. It is already light enough to see where we
+are going."
+
+Crossing the floor of the room, Tom found it lumbered with masses of
+stone and with builders' tools. It was clear, in fact, that some sort
+of work was in progress. There was an arched doorway at the far end
+that gave admission to a hall, or meeting place, from which steps led
+to rooms above, all scantily furnished.
+
+"The pastor's house without a doubt," said Tom. "Next thing is to see
+what's underneath. A larder crammed with food would be more to my
+liking than any amount of furniture. Here's the stairway. It's dark;
+mind how we go."
+
+Very carefully and silently they descended the stairs, and soon found
+themselves in a flagged passage. Doors opened upon it, and, pushing
+them wide in turn, Tom discovered living-rooms fully furnished,
+though the articles within were covered with sheets.
+
+"A regular spring cleaning," he said to the trooper, with a grin that
+set the Gallic warrior smiling widely. "It's clear that the pastor
+has gone away while workmen have possession of the house. But--my
+uncle!--that's a larder, and here's the kitchen."
+
+No one but those who have experienced it know the delight a soldier
+on service finds in the discovery of dainties. Rations are apt to
+pall after a while, and men long for the trifles which are commonly
+to be found upon the tables of those who lead a more peaceful
+existence. And here was a find. The careful housewife of the pastor,
+his housekeeper, or whoever saw to his material wants, had set by a
+store at the sight of which Tom's mouth watered.
+
+"My uncle!" he exclaimed again, running his eye along a row of
+preserves neatly bottled, and surveying a dozen hams hanging to hooks
+in a ceiling beam. "But--" and at the word his jovial face fell
+and lengthened till it was like a fiddle. "But they ain't ours to
+take--eh?"
+
+The trooper grinned widely. He was an old soldier, and though he may
+have had his scruples, a limited diet for the past few weeks, and a
+gnawing at his stomach now, swept all scruples aside.
+
+"Monsieur then prefers to starve with plenty beneath his nose?" he
+asked politely, drawing himself up and shouldering his carbine, so
+that the muzzle struck the low ceiling violently. "_Parbleu!_ There
+is reason why we should eat these good things, monsieur. But for the
+pigs who hem us in, and for their hatred of us, we could step outside
+and buy what is required. That is so, monsieur?"
+
+"Exactly," came the crisp answer, while Tom still surveyed the good
+things hungrily.
+
+"But we cannot set out for the market. These pigs send bullets at us
+instead of food. That being so, _vraiment, monsieur_, surely here
+comes in a law of nature. To live one must eat. Here, then, is the
+wherewithal to obey that law."
+
+The rascal grounded his weapon with a resonant bang, and put his nose
+within an inch of one of the hams.
+
+"Ready cooked--meant to be eaten," he gasped. "Monsieur will----"
+
+Tom's courage and scruples broke down under such subtle temptation.
+Besides, here it was a case of necessity. He took the ham from its
+hook, caught up a bag of dried biscuit, and then gave an inquisitive
+kick to a huge barrel, getting back a dull, telling sound.
+
+"Full to the bung, _monsieur_--the wine of the country. Something
+with which to slake our thirst, and so enable us to defeat the enemy."
+
+"Send for two of the troopers at once," said Tom. "Let them remove
+the contents of the larder to the room above. But, wait. Let us
+complete our investigations."
+
+When they had at length been over the whole of the premises they had
+come to the conclusion that the house had at one time been a clergy
+house, and had harboured many people; for at the far end of the
+passage they found a door admitting to still more rooms, and then
+to an enormous yard, about which was a high wall. A pair of huge
+doors led from this beneath an archway, supporting a portion of what
+proved to be stables, in which were a couple of nags, while the eager
+trooper discovered stores of hay and corn in a loft adjoining.
+
+"And a water trough and pump in the yard," cried Tom, delighted at
+such a find. "There you are, water in plenty," he added, working the
+pump and sending a gushing torrent pouring from the ancient spout.
+
+The discovery they had made was, indeed, of the greatest moment;
+but it brought this in its train: it compelled the leader of the
+defenders to make up his mind whether to vacate quarters which had,
+so far, proved an excellent refuge, or whether to hold to them,
+trusting to procure provisions and water from the clergy house so
+closely adjacent. It was characteristic of Tom, perhaps, that before
+the trooper had time to ask the question, he had come to a decision.
+
+"Listen," he said peremptorily. "The windows of this place all face
+into the yard. You saw no others?"
+
+"None: it is as monsieur describes."
+
+"And the wall outside the place, surrounding the yard, is so high
+that a man must use a ladder to ascend and descend."
+
+"_Vraiment, monsieur_; otherwise he would be crushed as if he were an
+egg."
+
+"Then we change quarters. Leave the ham and come along. Wait,
+though--get the key of the doors leading into the yard. See if you
+can open them."
+
+The trooper dashed away, and in a trice came back, widely grinning.
+
+"They were in the lock, monsieur," he reported. "All, in fact, was
+in readiness for us. It is clear that the Portuguese expected our
+coming, and prepared us a welcome!"
+
+"Stand by the doors: open when you hear our men coming."
+
+Tom went off at his fastest pace, and was soon scrambling down on
+to the floor of the church. A glance outside told him that rain was
+still falling, while an occasional clap of thunder warned him that
+the storm was still at hand. But there were figures over by the
+village; half a dozen men stood in a bunch, and the light was now so
+strong that one could see that they were armed.
+
+"Fall in," shouted Tom; and at once the men came tumbling forward,
+and lined up in front of him. Very rapidly, then, Tom told off half
+their number to fetch the horses. The others he again divided,
+posting three men above the doorway, four behind the carcass of the
+horse, while the rest were told off to carry Mr. Riley and Jack. Very
+rapidly he explained in French what he was about to do.
+
+"When we have the horses ready," he said, "pull this carcass aside,
+and then let those in charge lead the beasts down the steps and
+direct to the left. Turn sharp to the left again at the end of
+a wall and you will come to a doorway; lead them in there. Now,
+hasten. Those fellows beyond there are merely waiting for the rain to
+cease. We shall be in clover, and eating a substantial breakfast, my
+lads--yes, for I have discovered a store of provisions--before the
+enemy guess what is happening."
+
+Soldiers are not the class of individuals to be upset by surprise. A
+constantly changing life such as a campaign brings accustoms them to
+quick and unexpected changes. Moreover, here they had confidence in
+the young Englishman who had so suddenly taken command of the party.
+There was, therefore, not so much as a question. In less than five
+minutes all were ready, while Mr. Riley was by then halfway up the
+steep flight of steps leading to the house. Andrews stood beside the
+carcass of the horse, the perspiration streaming from him; for he had
+raced round the church and inspected every corner.
+
+"Ready, sir?" he asked.
+
+Tom nodded.
+
+"Then heave," called Andrews, tugging at one of the legs of the dead
+animal. The troopers threw themselves upon the carcass at once, and
+in a trice it had been dragged aside.
+
+"Now out with them 'ere horses," commanded Andrews hoarsely. "Beg
+pardon, sir, but I don't know what you're up to. This is certain
+though: there's not a drop of water in the church."
+
+"There's heaps where we're going," answered Tom laconically. "Heaps."
+
+"And grub, beggin' pardon again, sir?"
+
+"Could you eat ham, well-cooked ham, Andrews?" asked Tom, without a
+smile.
+
+"Ham! Bust me----!" began the rifleman.
+
+"And preserves. Perhaps the wine of Portugal wouldn't be good enough
+for you, though. There's at least one barrel of it where we're going."
+
+Andrews' eyes shone with expectation. He moistened his lips with the
+tip of his tongue. "Food and drink, sir," he gasped, as if the news
+were too good. "Plenty of it, too. Why--bust me!----"
+
+He could get no further than that expression; it conveyed his whole
+meaning. But the eyes which looked Tom Clifford up and down an
+instant later had, if possible, just a little more respect in them.
+
+"If he don't walk right off with the palm," spluttered the rifleman.
+"Here's he, a civilian--yes, a civilian--and he jest takes this
+little lot by the hand as you might say, and shepherds them. When
+there's trouble with the peasants, he sets about and gives 'em proper
+snuff. And when things is getting queer, and grub's scare, and water
+run clean out, why here he makes a man dance with news of hams--yes,
+hams he did say--and wine--why, it's Wellington hisself couldn't have
+done better!"
+
+Two by two the horses went clattering down the steps of the church
+and out into the open. Shouts came from the direction of the village,
+while other figures joined those bunched together in the rain.
+Splashes of flame and loud reports showed that shots were being
+fired; but still the procession of horses came from the church. When
+all were out, there were, perhaps, fifty of the enemy watching and
+firing, while others came rushing from the houses. It appeared, too,
+as if they expected the troopers to mount at once and gallop away;
+for horns sounded in the distance, while men went dashing in all
+directions, as if to warn outlying parties to close in and surround
+the troopers. Perched now on the ledge over the doorway, Tom watched
+as the horses were led along beside the wall, and saw them swing
+round the corner. He waited three minutes, when a trooper came
+dashing to him through the room which was littered with masons' tools
+and implements.
+
+"Monsieur, all the horses are in the yard; the doors are shut."
+
+"Then let two of you take charge of the forage, not forgetting that
+it must last a week at least. Feed the horses and water them."
+
+"Mr. Riley's safe in bed in one o' the rooms yonder, as snug as ef
+he was aboard his own ship, sir," reported Howeley, arriving on the
+scene now, and grinning his delight. "Mr. Barwood's ditto, a cussin',
+sir, 'cos he says as he's fit fer duty."
+
+"Feed them," answered Tom. "You'll find the larder below; take
+charge of it, Howeley. I make you responsible for all it contains;
+but carry something to the two officers promptly. Now, Andrews," he
+said, as that worthy came towards him, "let's clear the church of all
+our traps. There are saddle bags and other things to bring with us;
+there's the ammunition also."
+
+"Cleared, sir," reported the rifleman, delight showing in every
+feature. "I thought as you'd enough and too much to see to, and so I
+give them Frenchies orders. They're quick to hop, are them froggies.
+It's friends, not enemies, we ought to be. But the church is clear,
+sir; there's a dead horse left, and a few of the peasants as was too
+inquisitive."
+
+"Then we'll get to breakfast," said Tom heartily. "You've recalled
+the man from the tower?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Then post one of the troopers on this ledge, and come along.
+Something to eat will put us all in a good temper and fit us for
+the trouble that's brewing. Those peasants don't seem yet to have
+gathered what we are up to. But, in a little while, when they have
+guessed at our move, they'll be swarming this way. Here we are.
+Across this hall and down the stairs. Ah, there's Howeley--well?"
+
+"Taking food to the orficers, sir," grinned the latter, appearing in
+the doorway of the larder with some fine slices of ham and a jug of
+wine, while a second plate was loaded with biscuit. "There's a store
+here, sir, as would make the whiskers of a commissariat serjeant
+curl, sir--so it would! There's ham, biscuit, jam, cheese, flour, and
+what not. This here ruction's put us into clover."
+
+It took perhaps half an hour for Tom's party to settle down in their
+new quarters; because, first of all, there were the wounded officers
+and the horses to attend to. For the former Howeley had already done
+service, so that when Tom, relieved of all immediate anxiety, went
+upstairs to them, he found his two comrades stretched on a pair
+of comfortable beds, the naval lieutenant brimming over with good
+humour, and Jack just swallowing his anger at the sight of the food
+which the rifleman had brought.
+
+"Of all the wretched bits of luck I ever struck this is the worst,"
+he declared, managing, however, to bury his teeth in a fine, thick
+slice of ham. "Here am I, crocked up because of a bullet fired
+by some peasant fool from a blunderbus, and you, Tom, having all
+the fun. It's wretched luck; everything's wrong. Why, there's not
+even----"
+
+What his next grumble would have been it is difficult to imagine, but
+Mr. Riley cut him short with loud laughter.
+
+"Everything's wrong, Tom, my lad," he laughed heartily, holding up a
+slice of ham as big as that held by Jack. "Here we are, stretched on
+wretchedly comfortable beds, when we ought to be lying on stone flags
+which are really helpful when a man wishes to sleep. And we've grub
+too--grub, when we ought to be without rations. But the most serious
+part of the whole affair is that while we've really quite decent
+ham to eat, fair wine to drink, and hard biscuit to chew, we've no
+mustard to go with the ham. I protest, sir! It's a real hardship."
+
+That set them all laughing, till the gallant lieutenant choked and
+became crimson, and put his hand to his side with a cry of pain.
+Jack sat up, his eyes shining, his teeth occupied with another bite.
+Howeley, ever mindful of discipline, stood rigidly at attention, his
+jaws moving from side to side as he strove to prevent himself from
+joining in the merriment.
+
+"Well, I'm hanged!" was all that Jack could at length deliver himself
+of. "This is clover! Have some, Tom?"
+
+They made a merry meal there, our hero seated on the edge of Jack's
+bed; and much they enjoyed the fare which good fortune had provided.
+Howeley, meanwhile, with Andrews and the rest of the men were
+discussing an equally satisfying meal, the first-named having, at
+Tom's wish, taken over the supply department. Horses had by then been
+watered, and were now tied to rings ranged along the wall of the
+yard, munching contentedly at heaps of hay placed at their heads for
+them.
+
+"_Sapristi!_ But I never saw the like before," ventured one grizzled
+trooper, taking to his pipe when he had finished his own meal, and
+levelling his remarks at Andrews. "Never before!"
+
+"Right!" ejaculated Andrews. "_Très bien!_" for he had picked up an
+odd word or two of the language. "Proper sort, ain't he?"
+
+"_Mais_, he is remarkable," went on the man in his own language,
+since he knew no other. "See us yesterday. We are surrounded. We
+are hemmed in by a thousand wild beasts; our captain is killed; our
+serjeants are biting the dust. We ourselves are like lost sheep.
+And he, this youth, he leads us to the church, where there is
+nothing--nothing, mark you, comrade, but stone walls and floors.
+Now look at us! We live in luxury. The horses are content. This
+youth laughs with his comrades as if a Portuguese cut-throat did not
+exist, and as if the British army was within hearing. He is a second
+Bonaparte."
+
+It was praise of our hero, coming from the lips of a Frenchman, and
+Andrews endorsed the remarks with vehemence. Not that he understood
+what was said. He gathered merely that compliments were flying with
+regard to our hero, and stanchly supported him.
+
+"He's a toff, he is," he answered, stretching himself at his ease,
+and drawing at his pipe. "A chip of the old block. He's jest British
+to the backbone, from the soles of his feet right up to the crown of
+his head. I'll punch the face of any as dares to say that I'm a liar."
+
+The threat was accompanied by a gleam of the eye that had warned
+enemies of the riflemen before then; and the Frenchman, with the
+quickness and perception of his race, must have followed closely, for
+he jerked himself nearer the rifleman in his enthusiasm, gripped him
+by both hands, and would have embraced him, had not Andrews, with
+true British dislike of a scene of such a description, put him firmly
+aside.
+
+"None o' yer monkey tricks fer me," he called out. "But I'm with you
+all the while. Here's my hand on it."
+
+At that moment a loud report aroused the garrison. Tom appeared at
+the entrance to the courtyard, and at once, as if by agreement, the
+troopers formed line, and drew themselves up as if for an inspection.
+Tom emerged into the courtyard at once--for the rain had ceased now
+for some while--and slowly inspected his men.
+
+"We've had a good breakfast," he said, with a smile which went far
+to put heart into the troopers. "Now we've to work for the next
+meal. The peasants are approaching. We must get to our stations; and
+remember, please, fire as seldom as possible. This siege may last a
+week yet, so ammunition is most important. An hour ago water and food
+were most in request; you have both now. Then look carefully after
+the only other commodity that matters."
+
+They broke their ranks at once, and went to their stations, for
+each had been allotted one. Two men stood guard on the ledge above
+the doorway of the church, crouching so that those below could not
+see them. The room behind contained half a dozen more figures, with
+Andrews to command them. Elsewhere, in the room over the doorway
+leading into the courtyard were Howeley and three men, while the
+remainder watched from the upper windows which faced the yard, ready
+at a call to go in either direction.
+
+As for the enemy, they appeared in swarms, tramping from the
+village, armed with every sort of weapon. Crouching on the ledge
+above the church door Tom watched their approach with some amount of
+curiosity, wondering what they would do, and whether they suspected
+the change which had taken place so early in the morning. Then he
+noticed a dozen men detach themselves from the mob, and move out
+before them. They halted when some fifty paces from their friends and
+laid down their weapons. Then they advanced again till within easy
+speaking distance of the church door. Tom at once rose to his full
+height, the sight of his figure drawing shouts from the mob in the
+background. Then there was silence.
+
+"We come as a deputation," said one of the little band who had
+advanced. "We come to speak to the Englishman."
+
+"I am here; what do you want?" answered our hero promptly.
+
+"We bear a message. The elders of the village and the leaders of the
+peasants again make you an offer. You are free to leave the place
+with your four English comrades. An escort will be allowed, and
+you will be taken to the nearest camp. You may carry arms and your
+personal possessions. Refuse, and you shall be slaughtered with the
+hated Frenchmen whom we are sworn to kill."
+
+"Then take my answer," called Tom loudly. "Two of my comrades are
+hurt, and cannot move, so that we could not accept your terms. Even
+so, we would refuse. Now take warning from me again. We have shown
+you that we can fight, and we are all the more ready for trouble now
+that day has come and we have slept. Go to the nearest camp and send
+troops to us. The Frenchmen shall then become prisoners. Those are
+the only terms we will agree to."
+
+"Then you will not take freedom and safety for yourself?" asked the
+spokesman.
+
+"I will not," came the short answer.
+
+"Then you shall live but a little while to regret such action.
+To-night we will hoist the heads of every one of you to the tower of
+the church. You are a bigger fool than I thought you."
+
+He turned about with his fellows and retreated. They picked up their
+arms and joined their comrades, when a loud discussion followed. Then
+once more the forward move was continued, Tom and his men watching as
+a mob five hundred strong bore down upon the building.
+
+"I see ladders amongst them," said Andrews of a sudden, peering over
+our hero's shoulder. "That looks as if they would attempt to climb
+the wall of the yard. Then they guess where we've got to."
+
+The next few minutes showed that the enemy were fully alive to the
+situation. They steered away from the door of the church, a few on
+the flank alone advancing toward it. The remainder surrounded the
+yard and the house, and, a shot having been fired by one as a signal,
+all rushed in to the attack, the ladder bearers winning their way to
+the wall without difficulty, while a chosen band made an onslaught
+upon the doors which gave entrance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+Hard Pressed
+
+
+"Stand back so that they cannot see you," commanded Tom, as the
+peasants rushed madly at the entrance of the church that the troopers
+had defended so gallantly on the previous evening, and above which
+they were now stationed. "There is no need for us to risk their
+bullets yet. Let them climb, and then we will use our spears again
+and teach them that, if anything, we are in a stronger position."
+
+The advice came in time to save many a wound without shadow of doubt;
+for while two or three hundred of the maddened Portuguese had swarmed
+along the walls of the house, and turning the corner abruptly had
+then made a fierce onslaught on the gate leading into the yard,
+or were endeavouring to clamber to the top of the wall, an almost
+equal number had selected the church door for their own particular
+effort. They came on at the double, brandishing an assortment of
+strange weapons, weapons which, though they were not similar to those
+carried by the troops, and had seen many and many a summer, and, in
+fact, were wont to be used more often in the peaceful employment of
+agriculture, were still capable of giving terrible wounds, wielded
+as they were by men who seemed actually to be maddened by the sight
+of the defenders. The affair in which Tom and his friends found
+themselves so strangely and unexpectedly mixed was, indeed, one of
+those sad exhibitions of savagery to be met with, alas! in time of
+war, when such war is accompanied by atrocities. Knowing something
+of the history of this Peninsula campaign, and guessing at the rest,
+Tom could realize that the Portuguese peasant had suffered severely
+at the hands of vindictive troops who had been given a more or less
+free hand. The French bore an unenviable reputation for rapine,
+and history tells clearly that while the Spaniards had no very
+great cause of complaint, the Portuguese were often enough horribly
+treated. And at this time, when the French were slowly being forced
+in front of our armies towards the Portuguese frontier, driven in
+spite of their numbers out of a country they had sworn to hold, the
+atrocities committed were many. They did not stop at burning villages
+and ruining crops. Defenceless people were killed and horribly
+illtreated. Even the women and children were subjected to violence.
+And here was a direct result. One could hardly blame the peasants.
+Reprisals, terrible reprisals when the opportunity came, were but a
+natural sequence to violence.
+
+"I have known these brutes waylay the rearguard of two battalions
+marching north, and capture everyone," said a trooper who was close
+to Tom, craning his head so as to see the mob from over the edge
+of the parapet. "Yes, monsieur, I have known them to capture a
+hundred men, and when the news reached us, and we, a full regiment
+of cavalry, galloped to the spot, we found every one of our brothers
+murdered, done to death by torture. _Vraiment!_ It made our blood
+boil. It makes us fight now till there is not a breath left in us."
+
+Tom sighed. It was not often that he indulged in such a melancholy
+act; but the thing saddened him. In the midst of an attack it is
+true that he could forget the reasons for it, could almost forget
+the nationality of the enemy, but in his more serene moments he
+could not help but see the fact that these were but peasants, and
+that their rage and hatred were natural. Nevertheless, to allow them
+to chop himself and his little command to pieces because the French
+had earned reprisals was a very different matter. Self-preservation
+is one of the first laws ingrafted in us, and in Tom it was acutely
+displayed.
+
+"Keep lower, my friend," he warned the trooper. "Ah! They have
+rushed into the church, perhaps hoping that we have left a comrade
+or two there. Soon they will try the steps, and then there will be a
+hubbub. Stand back, you men with the spears; and recollect, no shots,
+no wasting ammunition. Beat them back with the spears or with your
+sabres. Now, I will go to see how the others fare."
+
+He left the faithful Andrews in charge of the party, and, passing
+into the clergy house, popped his head into the room occupied a
+little while before by Jack and Mr. Riley. They were gone; it was
+evident that they had risen. Pushing on, he came to the windows
+commanding the yard, and there discovered the truants.
+
+"What's this?" he demanded somewhat curtly.
+
+"Disobeying orders," smiled Mr. Riley, while Jack looked his friend
+up and down for a few seconds, as if he resented interference, and
+then grinned widely.
+
+"Never did see such a cormorant, sir," he said, addressing the naval
+lieutenant. "Here he is; he gets up a row with these poor peasants,
+bottles us in bed, and expects us to stay there. Not if I know it!"
+
+Jack hopped on one leg to the far window, steadied himself there, and
+then slowly lifted a carbine which he had managed to secure.
+
+"You go along and see to the defence generally, lad," cried Mr.
+Riley, slapping our hero on the back. "Jack and I couldn't be
+expected to stay in that room when such an attack was being made.
+You leave us in charge of this part of the defences, and even if we
+can't do much, we can at least encourage the men and see that all
+goes well. It will leave you free to arrange other matters. Ah! The
+beggars have managed to get to the top of the wall; they've failed
+once at the gate."
+
+The attack on the latter had, in fact, been easily driven off; for
+the little room built over it projected a couple of feet beyond the
+face of the wall, and was provided with a wide door and a trap, while
+a wooden crane swung outside. It was, therefore, a matter of no
+great difficulty to open the trap and fire directly down upon the
+attackers, while Howeley, the energetic commander of the post, had
+already contrived to gather a respectable number of paving stones
+from the yard below, and with these had beaten down the attackers.
+
+"Made 'em hop mighty quick, sir," he said. "There must have been
+twenty dozen of the beggars, all as mad as hatters. But even mad
+people feel blows when landed on their heads. You can see what
+happened."
+
+Tom peeped through the trap. Down at the foot of the gate were three
+peasants prone and still, while two more were slowly crawling away.
+At a distance of fifty feet there was a bunch of a hundred, eyeing
+the gateway with savage looks, and discussing the situation hoarsely.
+Then some went away at a run, returning in less than five minutes
+with a long beam.
+
+"Going to try a battering ram," said Tom, rather scared at the sight.
+
+"We'll give 'em battering," came the reassuring words from the
+rifleman.
+
+"I've two men posted down in the yard with their carbines, and we've
+knocked a couple of holes in the gates. If we can't reach the enemy
+from above here, the boys below can manage. They've filled up their
+barrels with pebbles scraped up from between the paving stones. The
+shots will scare the peasants same as if they was birds."
+
+A glance at the sturdy fellow showed that he had no fears with
+regard to his own particular defences, and, staying there a moment,
+Tom had full reason to trust him; for the mob outside were in such
+temper that delay was out of the question. Some fifty of their number
+began to fire at the gateway and at the trapdoor above, while their
+comrades picked up the huge beam and advanced at a run, shouting
+loudly to encourage one another. Crash! went the end of the beam
+against the gates, shaking them severely. Then came the clatter
+of stones. Standing well above the attackers, Howeley and his two
+troopers advanced in turn, elevated a paving stone, took careful aim,
+and then threw it downwards. With a shout of terror the attackers
+promptly retired. A minute later, however, they came forward again
+at a run, and on this occasion a dozen of their number bore muskets.
+Stationing themselves in such position that they could fire through
+the open trap, they sent their bullets thudding into the ceiling
+of the room, making it impossible for Howeley and his men to take
+effective aim. Meanwhile the others ran in, and, picking up their
+beam, swung it backward in preparation for another blow.
+
+"Jest you keep on tossing them stones over," commanded Howeley, as if
+the troopers could understand every word. "Savvy, me lads? Don't show
+up, but jest lift a stone same as this, standing well back, and heave
+it through. It'll hit something."
+
+It did. A howl from below, and a chorus of shouts and cries greeted
+the stone, while one of the men holding the beam fell as if struck by
+a poleaxe.
+
+"Savvy?" asked Howeley curtly.
+
+"_Bien!_" came the equally curt answer.
+
+"Then jest you look to it."
+
+Howeley went off as if he were provided with wings, and a moment or
+two later Tom heard him shouting to the troopers down in the yard.
+
+"Jest give 'em mustard," he bellowed. "You've got that, me lads?
+Mustard's the stuff they're wanting. Let in at 'em."
+
+A loud roar followed his words instantly, and then a second. Smoke
+billowed up through the trap, while a torrent of yells and cries came
+from the mob. Tom glanced over the edge, to find the beam lying on
+the ground and the attackers in full flight, save for those struck
+down by the slugs and bullets which had been discharged at them.
+
+However, the fury of a mob is a thing to tremble at. The poor
+wretches outside came on again, bearing a ladder, and in a trice the
+latter was safely wedged in the open trap. Desperate men swarmed on
+to it, and it looked as if there would soon be a contest at the top.
+But Howeley's paving stones were irresistible. They swept the rungs
+of the ladder clean, and in less than a minute the ladder was tossed
+down and the frantic enemy was in full retreat.
+
+"Well done!" cried Tom, delighted at the success gained in this
+quarter, but sorry, nevertheless, for the peasants. "I can leave
+you here knowing that all will be well. What's that?"
+
+He went racing back to the windows occupied by Jack and the naval
+officer, to discover that a commotion had suddenly arisen in the yard
+over by the far containing wall. The tops of a dozen ladders could be
+seen against the skyline, perched against the outside of the wall,
+while the broad summit of the latter was thickly covered with defiant
+peasants. They clustered thickly along the top, some firing their
+muskets at the figures in the window. Others had managed to drag up
+two ladders, and having dropped these into the yard were now swarming
+down.
+
+"Into the yard!" shouted Tom at once, leading the way downstairs at
+a run, and dashing outside where the horses were quartered. He was
+joined by a dozen troopers within a few seconds, who all raced across
+the yard, their sabres swinging in their hands. One of their number,
+a light horseman by the look of him, outdistanced his fellows, and
+gripping one of the ladders dragged it aside with all his force,
+and sent it thudding into the yard with a couple of the peasants
+upon it. But a dozen and more of the latter had contrived to descend
+the second ladder, and at once there began a desperate hand-to-hand
+contest, pikes and scythes being opposed to sabres.
+
+[Illustration: "GRIPPING ONE OF THE LADDERS DRAGGED IT ASIDE WITH ALL
+HIS FORCE"]
+
+"Hold them, lads!" came in stentorian tones from Mr. Riley, in spite
+of his wound. "Hold them for a little, Tom. We'll have the other boys
+along in a jiffy."
+
+Stamping with impatience because common sense and lack of strength
+told him that he himself was unfit to join in the mêlée, and, in
+fact, even to clamber down the steps, the naval lieutenant put to
+good purpose a stentorian voice trained in a service where lung
+power is required, and where the weakling is useless. In spite of
+the roar of the mob Andrews and Howeley heard him, and, rallying
+in his direction, went headlong down the stairs, with a number of
+their fellows with them. They arrived just in time to stem the
+tide of invasion. The ladder still remaining upright, and loaded
+with peasants scrambling to the help of their comrades, was thrown
+down by a couple of the troopers. And then, for the space of five
+minutes perhaps, there was a fierce struggle in the yard. The
+troopers at a shout from Tom separated themselves and formed a ring
+round the invaders, while the latter, taken aback now that they
+found themselves cut off from all help by their comrades, retired
+towards the wall, their scythes held well in front of them, their
+eyes furtively seeking for some hole or corner which would give them
+security.
+
+"Hold!" cried Tom loudly, anxious to save unnecessary bloodshed. "You
+men keep your formation. Now," he went on sternly, addressing the
+Portuguese in their own tongue, "I give you a moment in which to lay
+down your arms, promising on the word of an Englishman that you shall
+not be injured. Answer."
+
+With a sullen clang the peasants tossed their arms to the pavement,
+and stood glowering at the troopers, fearful yet whether they would
+be murdered.
+
+"Form into line, two abreast," commanded Tom again. "Howeley, just
+get to your post and tell us if the enemy are near. I'm going to
+eject these fellows."
+
+He waited till there came a hail from the rifleman.
+
+"All clear, sir," he shouted. "Them fellers has had a stomachful and
+has cleared."
+
+"Then get below and make ready to open one of the gates. My lads,"
+he said, addressing the troopers, who regarded their prisoners with
+no very friendly looks, "these men have thrown down their arms on my
+promise that they shall go unharmed. You will march beside them to
+the gate and stand about in case of a rally. Pick up your wounded and
+killed," he called to the peasants. "You will march straight across
+to the gate, and will pass out without attempting violence. Any man
+who disobeys will be killed instantly. Let this be a lesson to you.
+Go to your comrades and tell them that we are well able to defend
+ourselves, and that it would be better far for them and all if they
+left us alone. Now, march."
+
+Looking forlorn and frightened, and regarding the troopers with eyes
+which showed even now, though rather cowed, their hatred of them,
+the peasants picked up their comrades, of whom a number had fallen,
+and bore them to the gate. Two minutes later they were gone, wending
+their way from the defences sadly, and in different spirit from that
+which had filled them a little while before. Crash went the gate.
+Howeley threw the bar into position and turned the key.
+
+"Well done!" came from the window above in loud tones. "Well done all
+of you!"
+
+Glancing up, Tom saw the jovial naval lieutenant waving eagerly to
+him, while close at hand was Jack's grinning and perspiring face. He
+was actually shaking a fist at our hero.
+
+"Lucky brute!" he growled in a voice so quaint, and with such queer
+grimaces, that even the French troopers could see the humour.
+
+"Lucky brute to be able to hop about and take part in all these
+skirmishes. Wouldn't I give something to be in your shoes."
+
+"And right well ye'd do, sir, begging pardon," came from Andrews,
+whom the contest had worked up to a degree of excitement. "But it's
+well for us all that Mr. Clifford's here, begging pardon, sir."
+
+"Well said," shouted Mr. Riley. "Ah, I wish to goodness I could talk
+French! I'd make a speech in Tom's favour. I'd call for cheers."
+
+"Then here's three cheers fer Mr. Tom," came from Andrews in
+bellowing tones, cheers in which the troopers joined lustily, for
+they fully understood the gist of what was passing.
+
+"And now?" asked Mr. Riley, wiping the perspiration from his face.
+"Now, Tom, after that precious near squeak?"
+
+"Any damage done?" asked our hero at once. He ran his eyes over the
+troopers, and soon discovered that four had been wounded, though,
+fortunately, none of the wounds were severe.
+
+"Then pitch those ladders up against the wall again and look about
+for a strong plank. We'll make a bit of a platform above, where we
+can post a few men. They'll be able to keep others of the peasants
+from trying the same game. How are things passing at the church door?"
+
+An inspection there proved that the enemy had retreated, though
+doubtless some of them were within the church. However, for the
+moment at least, the bulk of the mob had gone, and Tom took advantage
+of the lull to make his preparations for feeding the defenders. The
+kitchen fire was soon roaring up the chimney, while outside, in the
+yard, there was another blaze. A trooper, booted and spurred, and
+stripped to his shirt, bent over a huge basin perched on a low wooden
+table, and sturdily pummelled a mass of dough. Near at hand stood
+another, stripped like his fellow, thrusting his long moustaches
+upward toward his eyes.
+
+"_Nom de nomme_, but this is soldiering!" he was saying to his
+comrade, as he added handfuls of flour from an open sack. "This is
+what a man can call campaigning."
+
+"Eh? Ah!" the other grunted. "_Mais pourquoi?_"
+
+"Hear him!" came the astonished answer, while the trooper held a
+floury hand aloft as if to show his amazement. "He asks why, when the
+reason is plain. _Dites donc, mon fou_; is it so often, then, that
+we fight under the eye and command of an English _garçon_? Poof! That
+is the charm of the thing. I tell you, yesterday I said to myself:
+'Pierre, you will be chopped to pieces before the sun comes up
+to-morrow. You and your comrades will be but mince meat.'"
+
+The man kneading the dough shivered and grunted his disapproval.
+"Gently, comrade," he growled. "You will spoil the tart I am making.
+What then?"
+
+"What then? He asks what then? See here, _mon brave_, we have
+fighting, heaps of it, and it is the peasants--poor fools!--who are
+chopped to pieces. We have excitement and work fit for a soldier,
+I say, and, with it all, see also what we get. Ah! I smell meat
+cooking, and here is something that we have not seen for many a long
+day."
+
+He went clanking his spurs across to a corner where the watchful
+Howeley had deposited a huge jar of jam, and came staggering back
+with it. The two men took the pan from the low table, lifted the
+dough from it, and, having thickly dusted the table top with flour,
+laid their dough upon it. Then came the task of rolling.
+
+"Try that, mate," suggested Howeley, who was now watching the
+proceedings with a grin of expectation. "Wasn't meant for the job;
+but beggars can't be choosers."
+
+He offered the barrel of an old firelock, the butt and lock of which
+had gone, and the trooper took it with a flourish. Dusting it well,
+like the table, he rolled the dough with the hand of an expert,
+and, having satisfied himself that his work was nearly finished, he
+pinched a corner from the dough and handed it to the rifleman.
+
+"Try," he grunted.
+
+"Real fine!" answered the Cockney. "I'm waiting for this here pie to
+get finished."
+
+"Then the jam, Pierre."
+
+The second trooper let it fall from the jar into the species of basin
+which his comrade had now contrived within a shallow pan, and watched
+as the latter smoothed it down with a wooden ladle. On went the
+covering of dough, while the cook with skilled eye and hand marked
+the edges of the pie, dividing it into as many sections as there were
+defenders.
+
+"Now," he cried, "to the kitchen with it. If we are to be cut to
+fragments this evening, at noon we will at least dine like gentlemen.
+Take it, Pierre, and see that you do not get it burned. Then indeed
+would your punishment be terrible."
+
+Such rejoicing as there was over that meal! Divided into three
+separate messes, the defenders ate slices of frizzled ham in the
+recesses of the room above the doorway of the church. Others again
+washed down the food with liberal allowances of the wine of the
+country, looking about them through the door opening above the
+gateway of the yard, while Jack and Mr. Riley held a reception in
+the corridor from which windows opened into the yard, and there
+discussed the good things sent them with many a jest and laugh. Yes,
+the spirits of the defenders were wonderfully buoyant. And why not?
+
+"Why be miserable while we're alive?" asked Jack, cramming a piece
+of that wonderful tart into his mouth; for, even if he were wounded,
+Jack could still show a remarkably undiminished appetite.
+
+"First there's ham, and then there's jam," he sang, till another
+mouthful kept him silent.
+
+"Indeed, why not be jolly?" chimed in Mr. Riley. "Here we are all
+tight and weatherproof, as you might say. What's there to grumble at?
+But, seriously, how on earth is this matter to end? Those peasants
+have drawn off for the moment; but will they retire from the contest
+for good? Eh? Now, sir, what's the answer?"
+
+Tom flushed at being addressed in such a manner, and munched steadily
+at his food. But his deep-set eyes wore a far-away look which showed
+that he was thinking.
+
+"Eh?" asked Jack, prodding him with the prong of a broken fork
+discovered in the kitchen. "Do we draw off as victors, receiving
+well-deserved promotion for this--er--this--shall we say, gallant
+action? or shall we, in fact----?"
+
+"Be paid the compliment of appearing in the _Gazette_ as 'missing'?
+My word, that would be hard luck after such a business! Now, Tom?"
+
+"More pie," said the latter deliberately. "Whilst we live we'll eat.
+But who can say what'll happen? We've given those poor fellows
+a regular drubbing; but I don't believe they've done with us. I
+don't like this drawing off, and the silence we now have; it means
+mischief. I'd give a heap to know what they are up to."
+
+Once the meal was finished, and the horses' wants seen to, the
+defenders of the place occupied themselves in a hundred different
+ways. Some cleaned their carbines and burnished their scabbards;
+others indulged in the luxury of a wash at the pump in the yard;
+while Tom, on whom the responsibility of everything depended, walked
+slowly from one end to the other of the defences.
+
+"I'd give a heap to be able to guess rightly what the enemy are up
+to," he said, for perhaps the tenth time, to Andrews, who seemed to
+haunt his side. "One sees little or nothing of them."
+
+"Next to nothing, sir," agreed the rifleman, with knitted brows.
+"But they ain't up to no good, I'm sure of it. You can see 'em come
+from the village at times and stare over here at us. Then they'll
+disappear again, while boys and young men scuttle about, and carry
+armfuls of something that I ain't sure of at this distance. There's
+been knocking, too, in the church."
+
+"Hum!" Tom pondered over the information. He listened acutely, for he
+was just at the edge of the platform above the church door. But from
+that position, indeed from any position held by the defenders, it was
+impossible to look into the place. Yes, there was knocking, coming
+from the interior of the church, and----
+
+"I heard a heavy fall, as if stones had been dislodged!" he
+exclaimed. "Come down below with me, Andrews."
+
+They ran to the stairs, and scuttled down at their fastest pace.
+Making their way along the corridor they were soon at the kitchen,
+and then entered a storeroom beyond. It had been ransacked by Howeley
+and his helpers, and had provided an ample supply of good things. But
+it was not the contents of the room that interested Tom; it was the
+wall, the party wall, on the far side of which was the church.
+
+"Listen," he said. "There!"
+
+A glance at the rifleman's face was sufficient to show that he, too,
+had gathered the full meaning of those blows.
+
+"Can't get at us by fair means, as you might say, sir," he grunted,
+"so they're agoing to break through the wall. It'll be a teaser to
+hold 'em if they once get through."
+
+"Couldn't be done," agreed Tom. "There's not room enough here for
+more than four men. We should be driven back into the yard, and, of
+course, an attack would be made in other quarters. It is a teaser!"
+
+His face was drawn and stern as he retraced his footsteps, and
+stopped to discuss the situation with Mr. Riley.
+
+"Of course we could pile all the bales and boxes we could find
+against this side of the wall," he said. "But that would not help
+us; the peasants would pull them into the church. There's no way of
+blocking up the passage either, and the difficulty of the situation
+seems to be this: we have now another place to defend, and no men to
+spare for the work. I think we shall have to try a sortie."
+
+"Or retire up here and hold on to the last," said the naval
+lieutenant, his face serious. "But they'd smoke us out, or burn the
+whole place over our heads. I know well the temper of such men as
+these. Harmless enough as a general rule, but demons now that they
+are roused. They've suffered frightfully at the hands of the French,
+and they have made up their minds to retaliate in the best way they
+can. Well?"
+
+"I'll see," answered Tom shortly. Turning on his heel, he went off
+with Andrews, and clattered down the stairs to the yard. Yes, there
+was nothing for it but to defend the upper story of the house, or----
+
+"Or make for the church again," suggested Andrews, for our hero had
+spoken his thoughts aloud. "You could clear out those fellows who are
+working there in a twinkling, carry all the grub and wine in--and
+there you are, as good as ever you were, and better."
+
+"But with a wall still," said Tom dryly. "They could come in here
+then, and knock the wall down just the same. We should have them
+pouring in through the church door and through this other opening.
+Still, there's a lot in the suggestion. Tell me, can you see anyone
+elsewhere than in and around the village?"
+
+They had mounted to the top of the house, and could obtain a clear
+view. Both stared out in all directions, and kept silent for a few
+minutes.
+
+"Heaps at the village, sir," reported Andrews after a while. "A
+few here and there, watching the surroundings. No big body of them
+anywheres as I can see."
+
+"Nor I; let's get below."
+
+As if bent on a purpose, Tom led the way to the yard, and then dived
+into the stable. There were the two nags they had seen when first
+they established themselves in the place, contentedly munching at the
+hay with which a thoughtful trooper had provided them. Tom pulled a
+door open and entered the cart shed.
+
+"Good!" he exclaimed. "Two of them--light carts too. Call Howeley and
+his men."
+
+The riflemen came plunging down at once, and stood at attention.
+
+"Get the carts out and the horses harnessed in," Tom ordered. "When
+that's done, load one of the carts with food. We shan't want water or
+wine, though you can take a small cask of the latter. Don't overload.
+Now you, my friend," he went on, addressing one of the troopers,
+"hurry to the rooms above, and bring down a mattress and some
+blankets. Quick with it!"
+
+"You're going to--beg pardon, sir," began Andrews, using his
+accustomed formula. "You ain't going to take French leave of them
+beauties! Never!"
+
+His smile told of his delight, and of his agreement with the order.
+
+"Take my compliments to Mr. Riley and your own officer, and help them
+both to descend," said Tom. "When they are safely in the cart on the
+mattress I have ordered, and armed, Andrews----"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"And armed with carbines, you get to the top of the building and look
+about you carefully. If all's clear, let me know. Then slip down to
+join us. Now, I'll collect the other men."
+
+Very silently and swiftly did the troopers obey his orders. At an
+earlier date they might very well have demurred and hesitated,
+delaying, perhaps, to discuss the matter; for why should they give
+obedience to one who was, nominally at least, their prisoner? But Tom
+had won their confidence, and that is a great thing where troops are
+concerned. They merely looked their surprise when ordered to repair
+to the yard and mount their horses, while the man posted over the
+church door bared his sabre, as if determined that no fault of his
+should allow a slinking peasant to mount secretly and discover the
+movement of the garrison.
+
+"Wait till I call you," whispered Tom. "Then run down to the yard and
+mount your horse. You understand?"
+
+The fellow grinned at him, a grin of interest and friendship.
+
+"_Parbleu!_ An enemy, he!" he grunted, spitting into the palm that
+gripped his sabre. "By all the fiends, but I, Jacques, would welcome
+the English as brothers."
+
+The clatter of hoofs told of moving horses, or preparations down
+below. Not that it was likely to disturb the enemy, for the horses
+moved often enough, particularly when being watered. Men slipped
+silently from their defensive posts and crept into the yard, while a
+couple of brawny troopers bore the injured Jack to the cart, smiling
+serenely at his angry protestations.
+
+"Treat me as if I were a child," he growled, as Tom came into
+hearing. "Who said I couldn't walk?"
+
+"I'll leave you behind if you're a trouble," came the answer.
+"Fiddlesticks, Jack!"
+
+"Or cut his diet down," laughed Mr. Riley, who already lay on the
+mattress placed on the cart. "That's it, my lad; cut his grub short.
+That'll make our Jack less fiery. What's up?"
+
+"Going for an airing," came the answer. "Now, men," said our hero,
+addressing the troopers, who were mounted by now. "You'll fall in on
+either side of the carts, which will be driven by two selected by
+yourselves. Spare horses will be led by others. If I have it reported
+that the coast is clear, we will throw the gates open and ride out.
+A sharp trot once we reach the road will take us away from the
+village. After that----"
+
+"After that, monsieur?" asked one of the men eagerly.
+
+"We will see. You are prisoners at this moment just as much as we
+are. If we get through, perhaps we'll call it quits. You'll ride for
+the army of France, and we for our comrades."
+
+That brought a grin of pleasure to the bronzed faces of the men. They
+would have cheered had not the need for silence been there. Instead,
+they picked up their reins, and fell in on either side of the carts,
+waiting for the signal to open the gates. Tom went back to the sentry
+he had posted over the church doorway.
+
+"All clear," was the report. "There is still knocking."
+
+"Then get to your horse and mount. I am following."
+
+Tom clambered once more into the yard, and looked up at the window
+which Andrews occupied.
+
+"All clear," came the gentle hail.
+
+"Then fall in--time we were moving."
+
+All were mounted within a minute, save Howeley, who stood at the
+gates. "Open," called Tom.
+
+"Open it is, sir," said the rifleman, throwing the gates wide at once.
+
+"Forward!"
+
+Steadily, and without sign of undue haste, the cavalcade rode from
+the yard into the open, leaving a place which, though it had
+revictualled them and offered excellent cover, might, were they to
+hold it longer, lead to disaster. They moved away into the open in
+regular order, the carts in their midst bearing their wounded and
+their supplies with them as became good soldiers.
+
+"Trot!" commanded Tom, and at the word the troop set their horses
+into faster motion, Andrews at their head leading them off obliquely
+towards a point where the road was accessible.
+
+"Hear 'em!" ejaculated Jack, by no means dismayed, as a torrent of
+yells and cries came from the village and from a number of points
+about them. "They don't seem overpleased at our leaving."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+The Great General
+
+
+Marching from the building which had given them shelter, Tom and
+his companions struck directly for the road that led away from the
+hills, Andrews, in advance, standing in his stirrups so as to obtain
+a better view of his surroundings. Jack watched operations from the
+mattress placed in the cart, on which he had been placed, a most
+unwilling prisoner, while the jovial naval lieutenant sat up, his
+back propped against the side of the cart, and surveyed matters
+generally from the standpoint of a man who is well satisfied with all
+that is happening.
+
+"Couldn't be better, couldn't," he observed to the disconsolate Jack;
+"and hark ye, me lad, for all your grousing I know that you feel the
+same. Tom's done magnificently; few would have done as well."
+
+It was just what might have been expected of the amiable, if
+hot-tempered, Jack that he should acquiesce warmly.
+
+"Grandly," he agreed. "Of course one wonders what one would have done
+oneself under the circumstances, and it's wretchedly unlucky being
+winged, and having to look on like a child."
+
+"Better than being chopped to pieces at any rate," came the swift
+answer. "Besides, we're not out of the wood yet. We've to get away
+from these mountains, and there's still that narrow valley through
+which we galloped on our way to the place where the real attack was
+made. I shall be surprised if we get through without meeting with
+more of the peasants."
+
+There was always that hazard, and as Tom looked about him, riding at
+the tail of the procession, he was bound to admit that matters still
+looked gloomy.
+
+"There's no way out of the place but by the road," he said to
+Howeley, who rode beside him. "Of course we could abandon the horses
+and take to the hills, but then----"
+
+"Wounded and stores, sir," came the respectful interruption.
+"Couldn't be done, sir."
+
+"Out of the question, I agree--so on we have to go. To turn the other
+way would take us back to the village, and then there wouldn't be any
+reaching the church or other fort as we have done. No, on we have to
+go. Those peasants are following, and I see scattered groups about
+us."
+
+The wretched Portuguese who had attacked the troop of horse had
+indeed taken many precautions to prevent their prey escaping them.
+Not that the idea had occurred to them that Tom and his men would
+have the audacity to leave a place that provided a fairly safe haven,
+and which in any case gave such shelter that more than once attack
+on the part of the peasants had failed. But, for fear of one of
+the troopers venturing to ride away for help, they had posted bands
+of their comrades round about the church, placing a number on the
+road, and causing others to march to that narrow part that shut in
+the wider portion of the valley, and through which fugitives must
+pass. For half an hour Andrews led the cavalcade forward at a smart
+pace. He turned on reaching the road, and then pushed along it, the
+troopers clattering behind him, and riding on either side of the
+carts. Suddenly his hand went up, bringing the procession to a halt,
+while Tom galloped up to join him.
+
+"A hundred of the enemy in front, sir," the rifleman reported. "They
+seem to be blocking the road with a cart, and are stationed behind
+it."
+
+"While men are racing after us from the village," observed our hero.
+"Looks ugly, Andrews."
+
+"A hole, sir; but we've been in one as deep and deeper."
+
+"True," agreed Tom; "and we'll climb out of this. Let me have a look
+at them for a while. We'll move along again at a trot till just out
+of musket shot. By then I'll have made up my mind how to treat them."
+
+He rode on beside the rifleman, his eyes fixed upon the enemy in
+front. Shouts came from the latter, while a number could be seen
+standing behind a cart which had been upset across the narrow road.
+At this precise point, in fact, the rugged hills on either side,
+hills for which Portugal is notorious, converged abruptly, forming
+as it were a doorway to that end of the valley. The rocky walls ran
+along within thirty feet of one another for perhaps a hundred yards,
+and then suddenly broke away again, making the entrance to another
+valley. Not that one could see the latter, for there was a sharp bend
+in the cleft between the hills. But Tom remembered the surroundings.
+
+"Ugly place," he told Andrews. "Looks as if the two hills were joined
+at one time, and then were broken apart. Once through, we have a wide
+valley to cross, and then another place such as this, but shorter
+and wider. So if we manage this job we'll do the other. Now for
+skirmishers."
+
+He swung round on the troop, and with a sign drew all the men toward
+him. Then selecting eight men, whom he had noticed to be more active
+than their fellows, he spoke quickly to them, so that they and their
+comrades could hear.
+
+"Listen, friends," he said. "Behind us the villagers are coming
+up as fast as their legs can carry them. In front there is this
+obstruction. Do as I order, and you will see that we shall quickly
+clear the peasants out. You eight men will divide, and four will go
+to either side. We are hardly within musket shot yet, so that I shall
+approach closer. When I signal, hand your reins to your comrades,
+take your carbines, and make off on to the hill. Clamber up and along
+till you outflank those fellows opposite; then shoot them down. We
+will do the same from the front. Understand?"
+
+"_Oui, monsieur_," came in a chorus.
+
+"Then on we go."
+
+Tom led them forward at a foot pace, till bullets began to strike
+the road at his feet, and the distance was so short between the
+combatants that he could see the enemy easily. He came to a sudden
+halt and waved his hand. Then, without waiting to watch the troopers
+told off for special duty, he called to the man driving the store
+cart to come forward.
+
+"Dismount," he ordered abruptly. "Now turn the cart and horse round.
+Good! Back the cart steadily towards the enemy. My lads, half a dozen
+of you will ride after the cart, shooting from behind its shelter.
+Better still, let three dismount. There will still be enough men left
+to lead the horses, or you can hitch the reins to the second cart.
+Yes, that will be better. Let the whole six dismount; then, with the
+cart to shelter you, you will be able to do something with these
+people."
+
+A couple of minutes before, a casual glance at the troopers forming
+the escort to the two carts would have shown doubt on many of the
+sun-burnt faces; for the difficulty which confronted the fugitives
+both before and behind was great. That in front seemed almost
+insuperable, and, seeing it, more than one of the men wondered
+whether, after all, this was to be the end of their adventure, if
+here the peasants would hem them in and slaughter them. But Tom's
+brisk orders and the novelty of his suggestions set them smiling.
+
+"_Peste!_ But this Englishman has brains," grunted one of them,
+swinging himself swiftly out of his saddle. "These Portuguese
+peasants are pudding-headed beside him. One moment ago and I thought
+that the end was near, that I and Strasbourg would see one another no
+more. Now the path is easier for us--you will see these demons run."
+
+But that had yet to be proved. Massed behind the upturned cart, and
+already pouring shot at the troopers, the band of peasants hooted
+and shouted in triumph. They hardly seemed to notice the eight
+troopers who broke from the ranks of the little procession; for at
+that moment the store cart was swung round, and the process of slowly
+backing it towards the enemy began. That operation attracted their
+whole attention, and soon bullets were thudding against the barrel
+of wine, tearing a way into the midst of the hams loaded on the
+cart, or smashing the jars of preserves which the excellent padre's
+housekeeper had set aside for him. Some went to either side--for the
+peasants were not first-class shots--while others pelted underneath,
+passing between the legs of the horse, splashing against the road,
+and sending little spurts of dust into the eyes of the troopers. The
+latter made excellent use of the cover. Two were bent double beneath
+the cart, and already their carbines were cracking sharply. A third
+lay on the stores, his head shielded by a wooden box which was
+filled with sugar, while the remainder walked on either side of the
+horse, leaning outward and firing whenever an opportunity occurred.
+
+Tom called the remaining troopers about him, and bade them make ready
+for a charge.
+
+"Once our fellows get on the hill above and outflank them we'll
+gallop forward," he said. "Ride at the upturned cart. Swing when you
+get near, and pass in behind. Once we have those rascals moving we'll
+keep them on the run. So chase them right through to the valley, and
+there halt till we come up. Ah! Our boys are getting to work. There
+go their carbines."
+
+The attack was not one that could be made hurriedly, for a horse
+cannot be backed at a fast pace, and then the ground to be covered by
+the men sent to outflank the enemy was steep and difficult. Indeed,
+had the peasants but posted a few of their own men on either hand
+they could have at once put a stop to such a movement. But it had
+never crossed their minds that Tom and his men would force this
+natural gateway. They imagined that they would come to a halt, and
+that presently, on the arrival of their comrades from the village,
+the troopers and their English friends would be cut down to a man.
+That, in fact, was what would have happened had they delayed. But
+the flanking party scrambled rapidly into position, while the store
+cart advanced steadily and persistently, the shots from the troopers
+sheltering behind it causing havoc amongst the Portuguese. Tom
+allowed five minutes to elapse, and then, waving a sabre overhead,
+led Andrews and Howeley and the two or three troopers still remaining
+against the barricade. Cramming his heels into the flanks of his
+horse, he sent him down the road at breakneck speed. Swinging past
+the cart where the troopers were sheltering, he dashed at the
+obstruction behind which the peasants stood, and, swinging again,
+burst in on the far side. Andrews and Howeley followed with great
+dash, while the French troopers were not a yard behind them. And
+then began a furious struggle. Men slashed desperately at them with
+scythes, others attempted to unhorse the riders, while a few dived in
+with the intention of killing the animals. But those swinging sabres
+beat them off. Already the bullets of the attackers had had some
+effect, particularly the galling shots of the flanking party. For a
+moment the issue hung in the balance. Then the men who had fired from
+behind the cart came up at a run, and instantly the peasants bolted,
+the three troopers and Howeley galloping after them and keeping them
+on the run. Perhaps two minutes later the blare of a trumpet was
+heard in front, and then the clatter of drums. While Tom stared at
+the retreating peasants, and at the forms of his own men, some twenty
+or thirty gaily uniformed lancers rode into view, blocking the far
+end of the pass. The long lances were lifted from their rests as Tom
+looked. The pennons fluttered, and then down came the points. A
+second later an officer rode to the front of these lancers.
+
+"Ah!" gasped Andrews, gaping at them.
+
+"_Ma foi!_" growled one of the Frenchmen at Tom's elbow.
+
+"English--hooray, they're our boys!" came in high-pitched tones from
+the cart in which Jack and the naval officer were accommodated, and
+which had been driven up to the scene of the conflict. Upright on
+the mattress on which he should have been lying stood Jack, wobbling
+badly, shrieking his delight at the top of his voice. As for Mr.
+Riley, perspiration covered his forehead and streamed down his face.
+He held out a hand as they came nearer, signalled to Tom, and gripped
+his with a feeling there was no misunderstanding.
+
+"Gallantly done, lad!" he cried. "You've pulled us out of the wood.
+The coming of the lancers has nothing to do with the matter, though
+it'll help to make things comfortable. Boys, three cheers for Mr.
+Clifford!"
+
+They gave them with a heartiness there was no denying. French and
+English joined in the shouts till the rocky walls echoed back the
+cheers a hundred times. And then all became of a sudden quiet and
+sober. For those thirty lancers were followed by a hundred perhaps,
+bringing the fleeing peasants to a sudden halt and causing some of
+them to attempt the feat of clambering away on either hand. A minute
+later the ranks of the lancers opened, and through the open files
+came a number of horsemen. Tom found himself watching their approach
+with something akin to fear, for mounted on a magnificent horse which
+led the procession was a tall officer of high rank without doubt,
+who rode through the muttering and beaten peasants as if they did
+not exist. A stern, clean-shaven face was turned in Tom's direction,
+while the pair of deep-set eyes that flanked a wonderfully hooked
+nose peered out from beneath a cocked hat at the little band which
+our hero had led so successfully.
+
+It was Wellington without a doubt, the general who had led our
+troops so brilliantly in the Peninsula, who had seen fighting in
+many a place, and had won in far-off India a reputation there was no
+denying. It was the great Lord Wellington, and with him his chief of
+the staff, aides-de-camp, and other officers, a glittering throng,
+gold-braided and medalled, all silently observing Tom and his little
+party. As for the latter, our hero was almost too astounded even to
+think, while his followers, conscious of the rank of those who looked
+at them, and indeed, of the presence of Wellington himself, fell in
+just behind our hero, shouldered their weapons, and drew themselves
+up as became good soldiers. Yes, British and French, at war with one
+another in the Peninsula, but friends in this particular part of it,
+drew themselves up proudly, as men who had no cause to feel ashamed.
+Slowly a smile swept across the face of the general.
+
+"I see," he said, so that all could hear. "We have here a little
+adventure worth hearing. Who is in command of this party?"
+
+Mr. Riley pushed his way to the front, having clambered from the cart
+with difficulty. Saluting the general, he pointed to Tom.
+
+"That gentleman, sir, is in command," he said steadily.
+
+"And these?" asked the general instantly, indicating the French
+troopers, with a smile.
+
+"We were their prisoners till a few moments ago. We were taken at
+sea, landed in this neighbourhood, and taken off by a troop of
+cavalry. The peasants attacked us suddenly, the officers were shot
+down, and Mr. Clifford at once took command. I wish to report that
+he has behaved splendidly. He and the riflemen have been the life
+and soul of our party. But the troopers behaved most handsomely, and
+obeyed orders as if they were our men. It is a good story, sir."
+
+"And one we will hear," came the instant answer. "Er, Lieutenant----"
+
+"Riley, sir."
+
+"Ah, Lieutenant, I'm pleased to meet you. We shall camp in this
+valley, and you will give me the pleasure of dining with me to-night
+and of bringing your comrades. Mr. Clifford, I think you said."
+
+The naval officer beckoned our hero forward and introduced him
+formally. Then he took the general to Jack's side, making him known
+also. As for Andrews and Howeley, they were beaming in a moment, for
+Wellington did them the honour of shaking their hands, while smiles
+broke across the countenances of the French troopers when he halted
+before them.
+
+"You have an interpreter?" he asked Mr. Riley.
+
+"Mr. Clifford, sir."
+
+"Then repeat what I say, if you please, Mr. Clifford. Tell them I
+am delighted to hear that they have fought side by side instead of
+against us, and that they shall be well treated and their conduct
+reported to their own commanders. Tell them that."
+
+Tom promptly interpreted the words, causing the Frenchmen to flush
+with pride.
+
+"And now for these wretched peasants," began Wellington, turning
+to the spot where some fifty of the latter cowered, wondering what
+was to be done with them. "I presume it is much the same tale as we
+have had before? Reprisals attempted because of the brutality of the
+French. Hundreds of these poor fools against a handful of armed men.
+A sudden attack and a narrow escape. Well, we'll sign to them to be
+off. There's no interpreter with us just now."
+
+"Pardon, sir," burst in Mr. Riley. "Mr. Clifford speaks the language."
+
+"What? Let me hear him."
+
+Blunt and abrupt in speech, there was something kind nevertheless in
+the tones of the general, and at once Tom went to the Portuguese and
+told them they might depart. When he returned he found Wellington
+looking at him with strange intensity.
+
+"You are a civilian, sir," he asked, "and speak French and
+Portuguese?"
+
+"Badly, sir, I'm afraid," smiled our hero. "Also I can get along with
+Spanish."
+
+"Ah! And make yourself as well understood as in the other two
+languages?"
+
+"Better, perhaps, sir. My relatives are Spanish."
+
+"And you are a civilian and wish to remain one?"
+
+The eyes looking Tom up and down so closely gleamed. Did they twinkle
+ever so little? Did this general, whose name was famous throughout
+many countries, guess at the martial spirit that filled Tom's breast?
+If he did, no one could do more than guess the fact, for the features
+never altered. The eyes merely twinkled, and that ever so little.
+
+"A pity," said the general. "You would have made a----"
+
+Flesh and blood could not endure such temptation. Here was the
+opportunity of his life, and Tom took it with open hands.
+
+"I'm meant for a stool in Oporto, sir," he said. "But I'd give a heap
+to earn a commission."
+
+"Come to dinner to-night," was the answer he received, while
+Wellington swung his horse round and rode on through the ranks
+of the French troopers. But he did not forget our hero, for that
+very evening, after dinner was over, and the remains of the
+somewhat frugal meal in which he was wont to indulge had been
+removed, Wellington called for candles with which to illuminate the
+headquarters tent, and then bade Mr. Riley tell the story of the
+adventure. Then he swung round on Tom and eyed him again in a manner
+that made the young man's heart sink to the depths of his boots.
+What wonder that the lad who had so bravely led the troopers should
+tremble under the gaze of Wellington. For this famous general was
+no ordinary man. The clean-shaven, sharply-cut features showed a
+determination that was extraordinary and which of itself attracted
+attention. His short, jerky sentences, however kindly meant, had a
+way of alarming his juniors, while the severity of his features,
+his exalted rank, the tremendous responsibilities resting on the
+shoulders of this man, made him almost awe inspiring. Tom had nothing
+to be ashamed of. Officers of senior rank out there in the Peninsula,
+and elsewhere, both before and after this historic conflict, trembled
+under the gaze of the brilliant tactician. Then why not Tom? But a
+smile crossing the face of the general reassured him.
+
+"So you were meant for a stool in Oporto and found yourself a
+prisoner," began the general, putting down the glass from which he
+had just taken a sip of wine, "and seem to have fallen naturally into
+the life of a soldier. Let me add, too, you have done wonderfully
+well. That I can gather even without the tale which Lieutenant Riley
+has given me. You have shown discretion and sharpness, sir. The
+army needs officers with discretion, and, I am proud to say, has
+them. She needs, too, officers who are linguists. More than all she
+wants officers able to speak one or more of the languages essential
+to this campaign, and who have in addition the capacity to command
+men. Mr. Clifford, my greatest difficulty in this campaign is that of
+obtaining reliable information. Will you help me?"
+
+Help a general! Help Wellington, the great duke who had defeated the
+French now on so many occasions! The bare suggestion made Tom flush.
+But the gallant officer addressing him was serious enough.
+
+"Come," he said. "I want an officer for special service. He shall
+be posted to my staff, and his special work will be to gather an
+escort of the natives of Portugal or of Spain about him. He will
+seek for information as to the movements of the enemy. He will
+make sudden raids where necessary, and if occasion suggests it he
+shall even enter the camps of the French and gather full tidings.
+It is a dangerous task. It may mean wounds or death. The danger of
+imprisonment is very great. Also, if the duties be carried out with
+discretion and boldness, it means honour and promotion. Mr. Clifford,
+I am happy to offer you a commission as an ensign, unattached at
+present, to date from the day when you were taken by the French. My
+next dispatch home shall make mention of your name and of my wishes.
+To-morrow evening general orders shall confirm this offer, while
+the following evening shall see you promoted to lieutenant for this
+recent action. Afterwards you will carry out the instructions which
+shall be handed to you. Will you accept?"
+
+Would he accept! Would Tom take the very thing for which he had
+longed, and become one of the king's officers! He jumped at the
+offer. His delight robbed him of the power of speech, so that he
+could only mumble his thanks. He retired, in fact, from the presence
+of the famous general with his head and brain in a whirl.
+
+"Hearty congratulations," cried Lieutenant Riley, smacking him on the
+back as soon as they reached their own quarters. "We'll tell Jack
+now. Pity the pain in his leg sent him away from the general's before
+this happened. Ha! we've news, Jack."
+
+The ensign had retired early from the dinner, the excitement and
+movement of the last two days having set up inflammation in his
+wound, though in the case of the naval officer it seemed to have
+actually done his injury good. Jack lay on a camp bed provided by the
+surgeon, blinking in the light of a candle.
+
+"Eh?" he asked, glancing sleepily at them.
+
+"Look out for squalls, my boy."
+
+"Why? Don't understand, sir."
+
+"You soon will," laughed Mr. Riley. "Tom's an awful martinet, and
+he's your senior."
+
+It was all true enough, though our hero found difficulty in
+understanding the matter. For the very next evening found an
+announcement in General Orders. There was a short, flattering
+reference to Lieutenant Riley and Jack. And then the following
+words: "The commander-in-chief has pleasure in recommending that Mr.
+Clifford be granted a commission in His Majesty's forces, for his
+action when in temporary command of the French troopers attacked by
+Portuguese peasants. Ensign Clifford is posted to the headquarters
+staff."
+
+The following evening found a second announcement. "Ensign Clifford,
+headquarters staff, is recommended for promotion for gallantry in a
+recent action."
+
+"My uncle!" exclaimed Jack, when he read the orders, "you'll be a
+full-blown general, Tom, before I'm a captain. Don't forget me,
+that's all. I'd look awfully fine in the uniform of a staff officer."
+
+"A general? Why not?" Tom asked himself as he rolled himself in a
+blanket. "I'm young, young for the rank of lieutenant. I'm in the
+midst of a glorious campaign. And owing to the fact that I can speak
+Portuguese, French, and Spanish I'm to be engaged on special service.
+Why not a general one of these days?"
+
+He forgot to look on the other side. Forgot, with the usual
+impetuosity and carelessness of youth, to reckon the risks to be run
+in achieving such honours. But then Tom did not realize what was
+before him. To begin with, he reckoned without José de Esteros, his
+most unloving cousin, whom he imagined still in England.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+On Active Service
+
+
+A crisp, cool breeze straight from the sea swept through the streets
+of Oporto and fanned the brows of three horsemen who were riding in
+from the country about ten in the morning some six weeks after the
+events already narrated. A brilliant autumn sun shed its rays far and
+wide, causing white walls and pavements to flash back shafts of light
+which were almost blinding in their intensity, while the russet hues
+of the foliage looked wonderfully bright and enchanting.
+
+"Oporto at last!" exclaimed one of the three horsemen, a youth
+dressed in the uniform of a staff officer. "At last!"
+
+"And none too soon," came from his companion, riding at his knee.
+"None too soon, Tom, my boy. Army rations are good enough when
+there's nothing else to be had, but give me the sight of a town now
+and again. There'll be dinners to be had, there'll be invitations
+galore to the houses of the big people, dances, fêtes, everything you
+can wish for or imagine."
+
+Jack laughed uproariously, the happy laugh of a youth who is bent
+on pleasure, and who is ready to enjoy all that comes his way. For
+this was Jack Barwood, Ensign, of the 60th Rifles, attached for
+special service to Lieutenant Tom Clifford's command. And the youth
+who looked so well in the uniform of a staff officer was none other
+than our hero. Respectfully in rear of them, precisely three horses'
+length behind, rode the rifleman Andrews, as erect as any cavalry
+soldier trained, his eyes glistening at the prospect of a rest in
+Oporto, a bed to sleep in, and all the entertainment a city promised.
+
+"And work," interjected Tom, when Jack had finished speaking. "All
+play and no work makes Jack a bad soldier. Eh?"
+
+Jack made reply by snatching at his sword and half-drawing it, while
+he glared at his comrade. However it was all fun, and only a symptom
+of good spirits. Jack was now in clover; but for that chance meeting
+with our hero and the adventure which had followed he would have been
+along with his regiment, then scattered by companies, and his lot
+would have been very different. Instead he was appointed for special
+service, than which there is nothing more eagerly sought by an
+officer. He was Tom's right-hand man, his adviser if you like--though
+Lieutenant Riley smiled satirically when that was suggested--his
+adjutant when engaged with irregulars.
+
+Jack had, in fact, in spite of his want of seriousness, been of great
+service to our hero. For, with the help of Andrews, he had instructed
+him in the customary duties of an officer and had taught him more
+than a smattering of drill.
+
+"Just enough to let you manoeuvre the irregulars you are to command,"
+he had assured Tom, with a laugh. "You can't expect always to carry
+out an adventure like that we passed through with nothing but cheek
+to help you. Knowledge is wanted, my boy! I'll be the one to give it
+to you."
+
+One could hardly have imagined a worse instructor; but when it came
+to the point Jack had proved an excellent fellow, and very soon,
+thanks to his tuition, Tom found himself able to drill a company with
+ease, and to understand how a battalion could be manoeuvred. It took
+but a short while for him to grip other points particular to an army:
+how it was split up into divisions, consisting of so many brigades
+in each case, and how those brigades were made up of battalions,
+each, of course, boasting of a certain number of companies. As for a
+command, Tom had not been long in finding one.
+
+"You will endeavour to enlist Portuguese and Spanish irregulars,"
+the chief of Wellington's staff had told him. "We leave it to you to
+suggest a plan; but, of course, your main work will be to seek out
+information concerning the enemy."
+
+"I'm wondering----" began Tom that very evening, when he and Jack lay
+beneath the same tent.
+
+"Eh? Don't!" came the facetious and grinning answer. "Don't, my boy;
+your brain'll not stand it."
+
+"Seriously, though," Tom went on, ignoring his friend's good-natured
+raillery.
+
+"Of course; you're always serious. Well, you're wondering; and I'm
+wondering why you're wondering instead of getting off to sleep. It's
+a beast of a night, raining cats and dogs, and a chap needs to sleep
+to escape the blues."
+
+"It would do you good to be out with our pickets then," cried Tom
+warmly, irritated by his friend. "I've a good mind to send you off
+with a message to----"
+
+That brought Jack sitting upright with a jerk. After all, Tom was his
+senior, ridiculous though it did appear, and if he carried out such a
+threat, why, Jack must perforce obey, though such a thing as an order
+had never yet come from his friend.
+
+"You were wondering--yes," he jerked out hurriedly.
+
+"Whether I should ride back to that village where we had that fight
+with the peasants. I'm ordered to enlist irregulars. I propose having
+a band here in Portugal and one in Spain, close to the border. We all
+know that the two peoples don't agree very well. There are continual
+jealousies between them; but they would work together on occasions.
+I propose going to that village to enlist the Portuguese part of my
+command."
+
+The suggestion took Jack's breath away and filled him with horror.
+
+"What! They'd tear you to pieces," he exclaimed. "It's madness.
+It's----"
+
+"I shall ride there to-morrow," said Tom, cutting him short. "You can
+stay behind if you're nervous."
+
+And off they went, with Andrews their only escort. Riding into the
+village over the heaped-up mound which marked the spot where the
+peasants had dug a trench to arrest the French troopers, Tom and
+Jack were greeted most respectfully. None recognized in the handsome
+staff officer the leader of the troopers, nor in his smart brother
+officer the young fellow who was with him, and who had barely even
+now recovered from the wound inflicted. Tom rode direct to the house
+of the mayor, and dropped from his saddle. And then had followed an
+exciting incident. When he spoke, the people recognized him. Men
+rushed to the spot howling threats. Weapons appeared as if by magic,
+and for a while it looked as if, in spite of their being English, the
+little party would be cut to pieces. But here again Tom showed his
+mettle; not once did he betray concern.
+
+"I make no excuses," he said sternly. "What we did was forced on us;
+but I have come back to bury old scores and to offer a favour to you."
+
+His unconcern alone won him friends at once, while the memory of how
+he had treated those men who had descended to the courtyard and had
+been hemmed in there told in his favour. Where a minute earlier men
+had shrieked at him, they now smiled and lifted their caps--more
+than that, many were eager to do service. Thus it came about that
+within three days Tom had as many hundred _Cacadores_, or Portuguese
+irregulars, drilling close to the British army, on ground specially
+allotted to them, while within six weeks he had set off for Oporto
+for the special purpose of arranging for a similar party of Spaniards.
+
+"It's work that you can look forward to, Jack," he repeated, as they
+came to the outskirts of Oporto. "I haven't ridden in here for the
+sole purpose of eating big dinners and dancing with all the fairest
+girls in Oporto. I'm here on business, your business, the British
+army's business, and don't you forget it!"
+
+Jack screwed his face up as if he were disgusted.
+
+"But," he began, "there'll----"
+
+"Be time for fun--perhaps," agreed Tom. "But business first. I shall
+ride direct for the house of Juan de Esteros and Septimus John
+Clifford & Son."
+
+"Of Oporto."
+
+"And of London--wine merchants. Don Juan's my uncle; I'm looking
+forward to the meeting. Wonder if he'll have news of the folks at
+home?"
+
+Men stepped aside to look at the two young officers, lifting
+their caps; city people raised a cheer more than once as they
+recognized the uniform of a staff officer; while often enough a
+handkerchief fluttered from some window as Tom and Jack walked
+their horses through the city. There was abundant evidence, in
+fact, of the popularity of the British; and had our heroes cared
+for entertainment, and possessed the time, they could have spent
+a year passing from one hospitable house to another. Everyone was
+glad to see them. Everyone!--no. There was one exception, though
+he passed unnoticed amongst the crowds. A face peeped out from the
+window of a hovel that was squeezed in at the corner of a square
+which Tom and Jack were just entering, while the limbs of the owner
+of that face writhed and twisted incessantly. A thin, weak hand
+played with the corner of a weak mouth, while a scowl of hatred lined
+a narrow forehead. The young man--for he was but little older than
+Tom--stretched out a little farther, so as to obtain a better view of
+the officers riding before him, and then ducked back out of sight.
+
+"Tom Clifford!" he hissed. "He in Oporto! Safe from the sea, and an
+officer! Ah!"
+
+The scowl deepened, for the moment was a bitter one for José. Yes,
+it was José de Esteros, whom we saw last in London, the scheming
+vindictive nephew to whom John Clifford had given a home for many
+a year, and who had rewarded his uncle after such a manner. It was
+the sneaking youth who had procured Tom's impressment, and who had
+schemed and schemed so that, one of these days, he might become the
+head of the firm of Septimus John Clifford & Son. It was, in fact,
+the ruffian who hoped to break through that old tradition of the firm
+owned by his uncle, and deprive it of the son who, following unbroken
+custom, should succeed.
+
+"Tom Clifford!" he gasped again. "An officer too! How? And in Oporto!
+Why?"
+
+A guilty conscience supplied the answer promptly. It was for his
+arrest that Tom had come without a doubt, and here again was added
+injury. Let us realize the position of affairs exactly. Far from
+being sorry for the rascally action he had undertaken, José vented
+the whole of his own displeasure on Tom's unconscious head. He had
+always been jealous of our hero. He hated him now because of the
+failure of the wicked scheme which should have ruined him, and hated
+him still more because retribution and discovery had come so soon.
+Indeed, Tom had scarcely reached the ship after his impressment
+when Huggins, John Clifford's faithful clerk, had unravelled the
+conspiracy, and had compelled the ruffian who had captured him to
+admit the fact. And José had had a near escape of being sent to
+prison; for with the unravelling of the conspiracy came the knowledge
+that he had robbed his uncle. But this wretched youth was as crafty
+as he was sneaking. Swift to detect discovery, he had once more
+robbed his uncle and had departed. A ship sailing that very evening
+for Oporto took him aboard, and within a week José de Esteros had
+presented himself at his uncle's, at Don Juan de Estero's house,
+where the Portuguese branch of the famous firm of Septimus John
+Clifford & Son was established. And there he had remained for two
+months, giving it out that his cousin had run away from home, and
+that he, José, had been sent to take his place. Cleverly intercepting
+the frantic letters which John Clifford wrote, José kept up the
+deception till, one fine morning, the faithful Huggins landed and
+appeared at the office. Then José ran again and hid himself in the
+hovels of the city. It was in one of these that he was located on the
+morning of Tom's entry, engaged, one may be sure, in further rascally
+schemes which the unexpected arrival of his cousin at once gave zest
+to.
+
+"Tom Clifford here!" he again ejaculated, crouching behind the
+window. "Then here's a chance to go on with the matter. Because I
+failed once, it won't be for always; I've a splendid game before me."
+
+The shaking fingers went to his thin lips again, while his limbs
+writhed and seemed to knot themselves together.
+
+"I'll kill him!" José hissed, as Tom began to pass out of his vision.
+"Yes, and I'll make use of the information which Don Juan gave me.
+Ha, ha! It makes me smile. He took me into his confidence. Told me
+of his riches, of the wealth his son would have. He's my cousin too,
+like Tom. Why shouldn't I have their share from both sides of the
+family?"
+
+The pale features of this half-Spaniard wrinkled into a smile that
+was more sardonic than anything. The thin, writhing fingers played
+about the corners of his mouth, while the pair of bright and somewhat
+protruding eyes which a second before had been fixed upon the
+stalwart form of Andrews, then the only one of the three horsemen
+remaining visible, lost themselves in a vacant gaze. In those few
+following seconds José saw himself powerful and rich, head of a
+prosperous old firm, a partner of the business in the place of his
+cousin Tom, successor to his Uncle Juan's riches.
+
+Let us turn from the contemplation of a youth so devoid of all that
+was pleasant and taking--José was born with a kink, a moral kink, if
+you will--let us leave him with it and follow Tom and his comrade.
+But in doing so let us remember that though José might be weak, he
+was yet a force to be reckoned with, a force, had Tom but known it,
+likely enough to come between him and those much-cherished ambitions.
+José might easily intervene between the gallant and handsome staff
+officer whom he called cousin and that post in the army to which
+youthful good spirits and assurance caused him to aspire.
+
+"The way to the house of Septimus John Clifford & Son, _señor_,"
+answered a man of whom Tom made an enquiry. "There are few in this
+city who do not know the name and the house. Pass directly on till
+you enter another square, then turn to the left, descending toward
+the water. The house is on the right, some little distance down."
+
+There it was at last. Jack pulled in his horse at the sight, while
+his estimation of our hero went up a little. For to the high and
+mighty Jack trade was trade, something at which he was rather wont
+to turn up his nose. It was purely ignorance of the world that made
+him do so; for to do him but justice the young ensign was no snob.
+And here he found himself in front of an enormous range of buildings,
+with warehouses and stores running right down to the water. Over the
+main building flew the flag of England, with that of Portugal close
+beside it, while a board of modest proportions announced the fact
+that this was the home of Septimus John Clifford & Son.
+
+Tom slid from his saddle, handed his reins over to Andrews, and went
+striding up the steps of the building, his sword and sabretache
+swaying at his side. A very gallant figure he cut too as he entered
+the office and enquired for Don Juan de Esteros.
+
+"What name?" he was asked.
+
+"Say a British officer," he responded, and presently was ushered
+into a handsomely furnished office. A little man, bearing traces of
+obvious ill health, rose from a chair, and at once advanced with hand
+cordially outstretched.
+
+"This is an honour," he said in broken English, mingled with a word
+of Portuguese. "To what do I owe the visit? What can I do for you,
+sir? But surely----"
+
+As he gripped Tom's hand he peered through his spectacles into his
+face, while a flush suddenly suffused his own olive complexion.
+
+"I am your nephew," said our hero abruptly, speaking Spanish and
+smiling at his uncle. "Very much at your service."
+
+A shout escaped Don Juan. He went to a door leading from the back
+of the room and called loudly. A minute later a familiar figure
+burst into the room and rushed at Tom. It was Septimus John Clifford
+himself, fatter than ever perhaps, rosy-faced, but active. The
+meeting between father and son can be imagined. They gripped hands
+and stood staring at one another for perhaps five seconds.
+
+"Well!" at last John gasped, standing away from his son. "A handsome
+figure you cut, Tom. A soldier, eh?"
+
+"On General Lord Wellington's staff, sir."
+
+"And mighty well you'll do, sir," came the answer. "Mighty proud I
+am of you. I've heard the tale. It's barely thirty hours since I set
+foot in Portugal, and who should I meet but Lieutenant Riley, who was
+just about to embark for England. We dined together. He talked, sir.
+Yes, he made me feel proud. Tom, the business can still be carried on
+with one of its partners in the army. I'm proud of you, lad."
+
+Septimus John Clifford had a long tale to tell his son, and it was
+half an hour later before our hero recollected that he had left
+Jack waiting outside. By then he had learned all that had happened
+during his absence from England. How José's cruel conspiracy had
+been discovered. How in course of time a report had come through the
+Admiralty telling of Tom's impressment, of the action at sea, and of
+his behaviour. And then had followed silence. The ship on which he
+should have reached Oporto failed to put in an appearance. Reference
+to the French failed to discover news, and John Clifford was reduced
+again to the depths of despair, imagining that Tom had gone to the
+bottom of the sea with his comrades.
+
+"Then there was the case of José, your cousin," he said severely. "He
+acted like a hound all through, and but for Huggins would have done
+us further injury. Imagine the duplicity and cunning of the rascal.
+He presented himself to your uncle here as your successor. He wormed
+himself artfully into his regard, intercepted all our letters, and
+finally bolted, having once more stolen all that he could lay his
+hands on. The news of his vileness brought me out here, and contrary
+winds delayed me till the night before last. Then, and only then, did
+I hear of you, my boy, and of all that you have been doing."
+
+He stood away from our hero again and inspected him with obvious
+pride, while Don Juan peered through his spectacles at the young
+staff officer whom he called nephew.
+
+"A fine soldier, John," he ventured. "A good leader, by all accounts."
+
+"And come here to let us see him. What brought you, sir?" asked John.
+
+"Business," said Tom crisply. "But let me call in my friend and
+adjutant. We have business with Don Juan."
+
+The meeting with Jack was most cordial, and presently all four were
+seated in the office.
+
+"Now," said Don Juan.
+
+"We came to ask for your help," began Tom.
+
+"If it's money you want, lad, as is only natural, why you shall have
+plenty," burst in John.
+
+"It's men," answered our hero. "I want to raise a small force of
+Spaniards, and I want also a leader to act under my orders, on whom I
+can at once rely."
+
+It was wonderful with what enthusiasm the two older gentlemen
+received this information. Don Juan pulled off his glasses and then
+pushed them back again on to his nose. He got up from his seat and
+paced backwards and forwards, and later suddenly faced the two
+officers.
+
+"You want a command composed of Spaniards; I can lay my hand on
+such a force," he said. "Alfonso, my son, is now in Spain, within
+easy distance of Madrid, and, were I to command him, could raise a
+force there. But the men of the towns are not to be relied on. For
+guerrillas you could have none better than the mountaineers living on
+the frontier between Spain and Portugal."
+
+"Just so," agreed Tom promptly. "Hardier and braver, sir."
+
+"Precisely," came the answer; "and with this, added to their natural
+feelings of patriotism, they will be led by the son of the man on
+whose estate they work, and will have in supreme command that son's
+cousin, a British officer on the staff of no less a person than
+General Lord Wellington himself."
+
+The little man skipped about the room in his enthusiasm, and forgot
+for the moment the decorum usually expected of a sedate business man.
+He snapped his fingers in his glee, and winked and blinked at Tom and
+at the company generally through his glasses.
+
+"Alfonso shall call them up and command them," he cried; "Tom
+Clifford, of the firm of Septimus John Clifford & Son, shall be in
+supreme command. How's that for an arrangement? No trouble about pay
+either, Tom. I'll see to that; I've abundance with which to pay every
+one of the following."
+
+The suggestion almost took Septimus Clifford's breath away. The stout
+little head of the old and extremely respectable business firm looked
+across at the jubilant little man, who for many a year had conducted
+the affairs of the firm in Portugal and Spain, as if he considered
+him mad. He gasped for breath, polished his bald head with a huge
+silk handkerchief of brilliant red colour, and blew heavily, puffing
+out his cheeks.
+
+"What!" he exclaimed, pointing a fat finger at Don Juan. "You will
+place a force at Tom's disposal. You will call up the men on your
+estate, and will put your only son in command."
+
+"Why not, sir?" Don Juan flashed out the question, and then smiled at
+his partner. "Why not? A pretty person you are, to be sure! You ask
+in one breath whether I will do this thing, knowing that my country
+is overrun by France, yet in the previous breath you sing praises
+because your only son, the son who should represent the firm, is on
+Lord Wellington's staff. Moreover, you gloated horribly over the
+details of the fighting in which he took a prominent part, and which
+were given you by that naval officer."
+
+A condemnatory finger was pointed at Septimus John Clifford. Don Juan
+regarded him severely for some moments, and then smiled and snapped
+his fingers.
+
+"Come," he said; "the affairs of our business lose significance when
+compared with the dangers of this country and the efforts of your
+soldiers. Tom asks for Spanish irregulars; he shall have them. He
+asks for a commander; Alfonso is the lad. Eh? You don't dare deny it."
+
+Septimus did not. In his heart he was delighted, and, like the
+sensible, long-headed man he was, he promptly sat down to discuss
+ways and means. As for Tom and Jack, they spent three days in the
+city, and then, accompanied by a guide, set off for the Spanish
+frontier.
+
+"You will be met there by Alfonso," said Don Juan. "I have sent a man
+across to him, and he will be at the estate as soon as you are. Here
+is a letter for him, and you will find that he will give you every
+assistance, and will fall into this scheme with eagerness."
+
+Some three days later found our two heroes at the estate belonging to
+Don Juan, where they were joined a day later by Alfonso. He rode up
+on a big mule, and dropped from his saddle at the porch of the house.
+A fine, frank young fellow he proved to be.
+
+"Glad to meet you, señors," he cried. "Which is my cousin?"
+
+"You speak English?" asked Tom, when the greetings were over.
+
+"Not a word; but Portuguese, of course."
+
+"Then Jack must hurry up with his lessons," grinned Tom; for his
+adjutant, with that perverseness common to many English lads, hated
+languages. Too full, perhaps, of insular pride, he imagined that
+his own tongue should carry him everywhere, and that foreigners
+should promptly contrive to add English to theirs, rather than
+that he should be bothered to master any language beyond his own.
+A perverseness, one may call it, a perverseness that gives the
+foreigner an enormous opportunity, and in these days of easy transit
+and of broadened interests, is telling against the Englishman. The
+polyglot Britisher of to-morrow will advance better and farther than
+will the man of to-day who is ignorant of all other languages than
+his own. However, Jack was not the one to be stupid, and, indeed,
+for quite a while had been struggling with French, Portuguese, and
+Spanish.
+
+The four weeks which followed were busy ones for the three young
+fellows. First the men of the estate had to be called up, together
+with others living in the neighbourhood.
+
+"We want three hundred, so as to match those in Portugal," said Tom.
+"It will be as well also to have a reserve, who can go on training
+in our absence. I shall do the same with the men we have raised in
+Portugal, and, as it seems that the two forces are at this moment
+separated by only some fifty miles, there will be no need to move
+nearer. But we must enlist the help of men living between us.
+It will not be difficult to devise signals, such as fires on the
+hilltops, which will warn either party or will summon one to join the
+other."
+
+The end of the month found Alfonso's particular command sufficiently
+trained for active work. No large amount of drill was given them;
+but they were able to perform simple movements, and, at Jack's
+suggestion, worked at the call of a whistle. One long call would see
+their bivouacs broken, their knapsacks swung over their shoulders,
+and each man in his place in the ranks, his musket at his shoulder.
+Consisting of three hundred men, they were divided into companies
+a hundred strong, for each of which a reliable leader was found.
+Moreover, Tom had no fault to find with the formation when those
+companies were drawn up for inspection.
+
+"Smartness on parade is all very well, and good for discipline,"
+he said, whereat Jack grinned his approval, "but it won't win
+engagements, and the engagements we are likely to be in don't require
+rigid lines. Try 'em with two long whistles."
+
+Alfonso had barely given the signals when the companies broke up as
+if by magic and re-formed at once into small squares, with some fifty
+paces between them.
+
+"For cavalry," said Jack, approval in his voice. "If they've courage,
+and will stand fast, cavalry will have little terror for them. If
+they break----"
+
+"Every man would be cut to pieces, _señor_," said Alfonso. "That is
+a thing they know. I trust soon that we may have an opportunity of
+testing their courage."
+
+It happened that such an opportunity came almost instantly, on the
+very morning when Tom and Jack were to return to Portugal. A couple
+of French squadrons burst suddenly upon the little command when
+engaged at drill, and galloped down upon them. For one moment there
+was confusion in the ranks; then Tom's cheery voice was heard, while
+Alfonso sounded his whistle.
+
+"Get to the farthest square," Tom shouted at Jack. "I'll take the
+centre with Andrews, while Alfonso goes to the third. Our presence
+will hearten the men."
+
+Clapping spurs to their horses' flanks they galloped to their posts,
+and, dismounting within each square, turned to face the enemy.
+
+"Hold your fire till I shout," commanded Tom. "Let those who are
+kneeling reserve their fire till the men standing above them have
+opened upon the enemy. Have no fear, boys--double that strength of
+the enemy could not harm you."
+
+But in spite of his assurance he had some qualms. Other guerrilla
+forces composed of Spaniards had thought to do well, and had faced
+French cavalry; but they had broken at the critical moment, and had
+been sabred to a man. Would these fine fellows follow suit, or would
+they stand firm? Ah! A man at one of the corners rose from his knees
+and looked wildly at the enemy. He dropped his musket as if it had
+stung him, and then, doubling up as if he were a hare, set off from
+the face of the square.
+
+"Halt!" Tom bellowed. "You will be shot if you do not stop. Let the
+three men at the corner aim at him and fire if he does not return
+instantly."
+
+There came a growl from many of the men. Two or three looked as if
+they might follow the bad example set them. Then there was a sharp
+report, followed by the fall of the coward who had bolted from the
+square, and who had been deaf to Tom's orders.
+
+"Form up there in the corner," he commanded, severely. "You see what
+happens to a man who deserts his comrades. Let it be a lesson to all.
+Make ready to fire; stand firm. We shall beat them."
+
+Let those who have not tested the experience imagine what nerve it
+must require to stand shoulder to shoulder in the open and see a
+horde of horse and men galloping down upon you. The animals take on
+a stature wonderfully enlarged--they seem even more ferocious than
+their riders--sabres whirl and appear to stretch far in advance, so
+as to reach easily an enemy. The situation brings for the instant a
+feeling of helplessness, one calculated to disturb the courage of the
+boldest. Would Tom's little command and the men massed in the other
+squares be proof against such an ordeal?
+
+"Charge!" The loud command from the leader of the French squadrons
+sent a flood of men and horse madly down upon them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+Guarding the By-ways
+
+
+Grouped together in three separate squares, Tom's Spanish command
+awaited the onset of the French horse, each man gripping the musket
+supplied to him by his British allies, and, in the case of those
+in our hero's own particular square, awaiting his orders before
+discharging the weapon. Nor had the lesson of the shooting of the man
+who had fled from the ranks been lost on his comrades. There may have
+been others inclined to show cowardice; but such a salutary example
+checked them.
+
+"Kneeling rank make ready!" shouted Tom, when the eyes of the
+oncoming troopers were visible. "Fire!"
+
+A storm of bullets sped from the square, while the company nearest
+opened on the enemy at the same moment.
+
+"Reload!" bellowed Tom, peering through the smoke. "Now those who are
+standing take aim. Fire!"
+
+The volleys rang out in rather quick succession, and were followed at
+once by the ring of ramrods. And all the while there came to the ear
+the thunder of horses' hoofs and the shouts of excited men. Tom saw
+through the billowing smoke a number of dark figures which flashed
+past the square as if borne on a gale. A few of these same figures
+seemed to struggle against the current that bore them, and then, as
+the smoke blew aside, and one could see better, they appeared as
+individual troopers or officers who had reined back their horses.
+Then with loud and angry shouts they dug spurs deep into the flanks
+of the gallant beasts they rode, and, swinging their sabres, dashed
+madly at the nearest face of the square.
+
+"Ready!" shouted Tom. "Fire individually. Keep them at a distance."
+
+Once more there was a sharp fusillade; while, to the consternation
+of more than one of the men, bullets from the adjacent square, aimed
+no doubt at the enemy, swept overhead, narrowly missing friends. As
+for the French, foiled in this their first attempt, they drew off and
+re-formed at a distance. Tom at once climbed into his saddle and rode
+out to Alfonso's square.
+
+"Bravely done, men!" he called out, reining in close at hand. "I see
+you did some execution; but you must be careful next time with your
+bullets. You sent a number just over our heads. Now, Alfonso, draw
+off your men by squares till we reach that broken ground. If we march
+as we are you will lead the way; Jack will come next, and my little
+lot will act as rearguard."
+
+He rode across to Jack's company and congratulated them also. Then he
+rejoined his own men, while Alfonso set the whole command in motion.
+Taking care to keep the distances between the companies, the whole
+force marched away from the French, till a shout and a shrill whistle
+from the young Spaniard commanding the force caused all to halt.
+Looking over his shoulder, Tom saw that the Frenchmen were advancing
+again, and at once drew his own men compactly together.
+
+"Remember that you are acting as the rearguard, and bear yourselves
+accordingly. Obey my orders and you will come out of the conflict
+victoriously. Let each man wait till he gets the word to fire."
+
+It was as well, perhaps, that the men had had some previous
+experience of fighting; and though this was actually the first day
+on which they had come in conflict with the enemy, the recent charge
+of the French, and the manner in which they had been driven away,
+had heartened them wonderfully. Even so, this second occasion proved
+a greater ordeal for Tom's own particular company; for the French
+seemed to have decided to hurl all their weight on one square, with
+the object of defeating the three companies in detail. Drawing in
+their ranks now, they set their horses at Tom's square with an
+impetuous dash that elsewhere had sent Spaniards fleeing. Once
+more Tom saw the commander stand in his stirrups, fling his sabre
+overhead, and yell the command to charge. Then the mass came forward
+at speed, looking as if they would ride over the square and stamp
+every living man there out of existence. Crisp and cool came Tom's
+orders.
+
+"Kneelers, fire!" he bellowed. "Now, those standing--reload!"
+
+Very rapidly he had altered to a slight degree the formation of the
+square, throwing the corner at which the French attack was aimed
+farther outward, making the angle, in fact, much sharper, and so
+enabling more men on either face to take effective aim. The flash
+of the muskets was answered at once by shrieks and shouts, and by
+the neighing of horses. Men fell from their saddles, maddened beasts
+crashed to the ground, rolled over, and lay frantically plunging.
+Then the bulk of the enemy, hit hard by the second volley, swept past
+the square like a torrent, and galloped away to a distance. Tom at
+once stepped outside the square, and, with the help of a couple of
+the men, liberated a trooper who was pinned beneath his horse.
+
+"There, _mon brave_," he said, with a smile, "go to your commander
+and tell him not to make the attempt again; these Spaniards are well
+able to look after themselves."
+
+To his amazement the man clutched him by the hand and then grinned
+widely. Looking closely into his face, beneath its thatch of ruffled
+hair, Tom recognized one of the troopers who had helped to defend the
+church, and promptly shook his hand eagerly.
+
+[Illustration: "TO HIS AMAZEMENT THE MAN CLUTCHED HIM BY THE HAND"]
+
+"_Ma foi!_ and so soon," gasped the fellow. "See, monsieur, a little
+while ago, two months perhaps, you and I and the others do our best
+to cut the throats of a common enemy. Now we would cut one another's.
+Truly war is a farce, and here am I your prisoner, whereas you were
+mine but a while ago."
+
+The absurdity of the change tickled the man, and, though shaken by
+his fall, he laughed uproariously. Then, aided by Tom again, he
+clambered into the saddle borne by another horse resting beside its
+slain master, and rode away, thanking Tom profusely. Nor was that
+the last seen of him, for almost before Alfonso had put the three
+companies in motion again half a dozen Frenchmen were seen to be
+spurring towards them. One detached himself then from the number, and
+presently was seen to be the officer. Fearless, as were these French
+cavalrymen, he rode right up to the squares, lifting his hat as he
+came.
+
+"Monsieur," he began, addressing Alfonso, while the Spaniards in the
+ranks gazed at him open-mouthed, "have I the honour of addressing
+Monsieur Tom Clifford?"
+
+Alfonso at once pointed to our hero, for he understood the language.
+Then once more, when the officer had arrived at the last of the
+squares, he repeated his question.
+
+"At your service, Capitaine," replied Tom.
+
+"The Monsieur Tom Clifford who defended the church against those
+_canaille_ of Portuguese, and commanded French troopers?"
+
+Tom bowed. "The same," he said. "Glad if I was of service."
+
+"Then permit me to apologize for this attack," came the answer, while
+the French officer swept his hat from his head again and bent over
+the pommel of his saddle. "The tale of that fighting of monsieur,
+and of the command he took, has gone through the French army.
+Napoleon himself, the Emperor, has heard and commended. Monsieur,
+we fight with the British, and with these _canaille_ of Portuguese
+and Spanish; but we do not fight with monsieur. I have the honour to
+observe that, though I have strong reinforcements at hand, I shall
+retire, trusting that you will do so also. To fight with such a
+friend is not _comme il faut_."
+
+Off went the hat again. The officer saluted, while Tom returned the
+compliment. And then the officer was gone. They watched him ride away
+with his command, and saw some five hundred other troopers join him.
+They never renewed the attack, but, clapping spurs to their horses,
+rode away out of sight, magnanimously declining to fight against our
+hero.
+
+"And a jolly lucky thing for all of us!" declared Jack, when the men
+were back in their bivouacs, and had broken their ranks. "Our fellows
+did grandly, and are wonderfully heartened at their success; but they
+realize, just as we realize, that an attack by the whole force of
+cavalry would have overwhelmed us. Wonder how our Portuguese fellows
+would have behaved under similar circumstances. Wish we had had them
+here and put them to the test."
+
+But Jack need have had no fears that the command generally would
+not soon be engaged, for that very evening brought a galloper in
+from headquarters. Tom tore open the official envelope, and read the
+contents with gusto.
+
+"To Lieutenant T. Clifford," it went. "You will report at once at
+headquarters, and will take steps to concentrate your command on the
+frontier. This message is urgent."
+
+"Then off we go!" Tom cried eagerly. "Alfonso, you will march your
+men to the frontier to-night, and will bivouac wherever suitable.
+March at dawn again, till you have covered some thirty miles in all,
+then halt and wait for our signals. Jack and I will be off at once."
+
+That was the best of youth and energy. It carried the two young
+fellows away at once, with Andrews in attendance. Nor did they halt
+till darkness compelled them to do so. Rapping at the door of an
+isolated farm, they were welcomed at once, leaving after a refreshing
+sleep at the first streak of dawn. The following evening found them
+at headquarters, where Tom at once reported himself.
+
+"Ah, you have come quickly!" was his greeting from the chief of
+staff. "Now, Mr. Clifford, I will see if his lordship can receive
+you."
+
+In the course of a few moments our hero found himself once more in
+the presence of the great general, who greeted him with a smile.
+
+"Been defending any more churches, or commanding other Frenchmen?" he
+asked, with a quizzing smile that became downright laughter when he
+saw how Tom was blushing. "Now, confess."
+
+Tom had already reported the raising of the Spanish force, and lamely
+admitted that they had been engaged with the enemy. "We beat them off
+twice, sir," he said. "Then they received reinforcements, and matters
+would have been ugly."
+
+"Ah, would have been!" smiled the general. "How did they clear up,
+then? You had an agreement with the enemy?"
+
+"I met a friend," admitted our hero, with rising colour; "one of
+the troopers who helped to defend the church. Then the officer came
+forward and told us to move off, and declined to fight further."
+
+"And a gallant fellow he was, too!" laughed Wellington. "However, you
+cannot always hope for such fortune, though I congratulate you on
+the behaviour of your Spaniards. How I wish all would act likewise,
+instead of being for the most part wholly unreliable! But now for a
+mission--it means danger."
+
+Tom drew himself up and saluted. "Quite so, sir," he said cheerfully.
+
+"It is a species of forlorn hope; discovery means death."
+
+"What are the orders, sir?" asked Tom respectfully, never flinching.
+
+"And success means much to me. I want reliable information as to the
+defences of Ciudad Rodrigo. I rely absolutely on the discretion of
+the officer I employ, for my intention of attacking that place must
+never be guessed at. I want that information, and I want to learn how
+it is that certain of our secrets have reached the enemy. There, Mr.
+Clifford; I give no orders; volunteers alone undertake the forlorn
+hope."
+
+"Then I volunteer now, sir," exclaimed Tom promptly. "Am I to make
+what use I like of my men?"
+
+"You are to dispose them so as to prevent anyone entering or leaving
+Ciudad Rodrigo without observation," came the sharp answer. "Good
+evening, Mr. Clifford!"
+
+Our hero saluted with precision, turned about with the smartness that
+became a soldier, and hurried away.
+
+"Well?" asked Jack, all eagerness.
+
+"Let the men make ready for an early start. Draw rations and
+ammunition for a couple of weeks; I'll be back in an hour."
+
+Tom swung himself into his saddle and rode away to the outskirts of
+the cantonments; for the troops were now in winter quarters, and
+already the weather had been severe.
+
+"Now, how's it to be done?" he asked himself. "I've to get into
+Ciudad Rodrigo, which I know swarms with French soldiers, and I am to
+intercept messages that appear to be going to the enemy. How's it
+all to be done?"
+
+Walking his horse well away from the vicinity of the troops, he
+thought the matter out, and returned to his own command just as
+darkness was falling.
+
+"Let the men eat," he said abruptly. "We will march when darkness
+has fallen, and so attract no attention. There may be people about
+watching our troops."
+
+It was two hours later when the men fell in at Jack's whistle. They
+marched from the cantonments in absolute silence, each man bearing
+rations and ammunition on his shoulders, while still more was carried
+in a couple of carts. Taking a track that led to the mountains, and
+being guided by one of the men who knew the ground intimately, the
+little force marched steadily forward and upward till they were well
+within a deep fold of the ground that entirely hid them from their
+late comrades. Not that there was much chance of their being seen,
+for it was now very dark. But their signals might have attracted
+attention, and, if news were being taken to the enemy, Tom was wise
+enough to know that those who sent it must be somewhere in the
+vicinity of our camps.
+
+"We'll take every precaution to bamboozle 'em," he told Jack, with
+whom he had discussed matters. "They're hardly likely to notice our
+absence from the camp; for 4000 Portuguese irregulars were encamped
+beside us, and drew rations with us. Then, if they haven't seen us
+move off, and don't see our signals, we shall be in a position to
+lay a snare to catch any who may be making for Ciudad Rodrigo. Now
+for a couple of fires."
+
+Two flares were lighted almost at once, and, having been allowed to
+blaze for a few minutes, were stamped out again. Almost immediately
+an answering fire was seen right away above them. An hour or more
+later Alfonso put in an appearance with his command.
+
+"We'll march directly up the valley, the Portuguese going first,"
+said Tom. "Then we'll camp for the night. To-morrow we can introduce
+the men and make our plans for the future."
+
+"What's the work?" asked Jack, whose interest and curiosity were
+keen. "Special orders?"
+
+"Yes, there's news getting into Ciudad Rodrigo."
+
+"Ah! Not surprised. We've heaps of loafers always round our camps,
+and a sly fellow might easily pick up information and take it to the
+enemy. You'll hunt round Ciudad Rodrigo, I suppose?"
+
+"No," declared Tom abruptly. "I shall watch the outskirts of our
+camps. If a man leaves, he will be followed. If he comes in the
+direction of Ciudad Rodrigo, the information will be signalled to
+you. You will arrest and search him."
+
+"I? You mean that you will," exclaimed Jack, for he was ever ready to
+concede the post of leader to his chum.
+
+"No; you."
+
+"But," began Jack, "why not you?"
+
+"Because I shall be in Ciudad Rodrigo."
+
+"In the town, behind the defences! That's risky, ain't it?" asked his
+friend.
+
+"Orders," declared Tom light-heartedly. "I'm telling them to you
+in confidence. See here, Jack. Wellington has given us a nice
+little job, and we've to pull ourselves together and carry it out;
+information of our troops' movements is leaking out, and Wellington
+wishes to keep them very secret; for he intends to take Ciudad
+Rodrigo by assault. We've to cloak his movements by capturing all
+talebearers, and we've to get inside knowledge of the defences of
+Ciudad. Got it?"
+
+Jack had. He pondered for a little while, and then approached the
+subject again. "How'll you fix the men?" he asked. "It's cold;
+there's been snow already."
+
+"Then we must find quarters for all. I shall divide the force up,
+putting a hundred Portuguese in this neighbourhood, a hundred farther
+on, and the remainder spread away on the mountains, so that every
+pass is under observation. It will take a few days to fix matters,
+and then we shall really begin our work."
+
+They lay down in their blankets that night, the two halves of the
+force, Portuguese and Spanish, being divided. Early on the following
+morning, when a meal had been cooked and eaten, the men were formed
+up, the two separate bands facing one another. Tom harangued them,
+telling the Portuguese how the Spanish half had conducted itself
+under the fire of the enemy, and how they had resisted an attack
+by cavalry. To the Spaniards he spoke of the hardihood of the
+Portuguese, and their courage, though he omitted to mention the
+circumstances of the attack they had made on the church. Then he
+spoke of their mutual interests, and having called upon all to do
+their best, he dismissed the men for half an hour.
+
+"Let them get together and compare notes," he said.
+
+"It will make fast friends of them," agreed Alfonso. "You must
+remember that my men live right on the frontier, and yours also,
+so that they all speak a patois which is understood by the people
+in these parts. Let them talk. The fact that they have a British
+staff officer in command, with another to help him, and two British
+riflemen, will help not a little."
+
+When the force moved off again there was no doubt that the men had
+fraternized wonderfully. To look at them there was very little
+difference in their appearance. All were well-built, hardy fellows,
+with fresh complexions, showing that they were accustomed to an
+open-air life. Short for the most part, they displayed wonderful
+activity, and were evidently at home in the mountains. It was three
+hours later when Tom halted the force, and let the men fall out to
+eat and rest.
+
+"Here's where we place the first lot of our outposts," he told Jack,
+pointing to some cottages lying under the brow of a rise. "Those are
+deserted, and will shelter our men well. Andrews will stay with
+them; for he has learned a little of the language. We will give
+them a share of the rations, and then push on. I have already given
+Andrews his orders. He is to post his men, half at a time, on every
+height commanding the roads from our camps, is to capture all who
+come this way, and, if a number are seen, is to signal by lighting a
+fire."
+
+"And what happens when he's captured a man?" asked Jack.
+
+"He sends him along to us."
+
+"But you said 'you' a little while ago," Jack reminded him, with a
+grin.
+
+"Us at first, you afterwards," said Tom ambiguously. "I dare say that
+puzzles you; wait till we catch a fellow and you'll see."
+
+Three days later saw the whole of the force disposed, and when Tom
+and his two lieutenants reviewed the posts, they could not help but
+agree that they controlled all the roads communicating with Ciudad
+Rodrigo, and likely to be used by anyone leaving Wellington's camp.
+It was a week later when news reached our hero that a capture had
+been made. He was then within sight of Ciudad Rodrigo, hidden on a
+height from which he could look down at the fortress and town. Some
+six hours later Andrews arrived, having left his brother rifleman in
+charge of the post.
+
+"Well?" asked Tom, as the man drew himself up and saluted.
+
+"Captured a ruffian coming through our way early this morning, sir."
+
+"And searched him?"
+
+"Found these papers on him, sir. He did his best to get away, and
+when he saw we were bound to capture him, tried to destroy the
+papers; but our lads were too quick for him."
+
+"Where is he?" asked Tom. "Bring him forward."
+
+A rough, broad-shouldered individual was ushered into his presence
+between an escort of four of the Portuguese, and stood scowling at
+Tom.
+
+"Portuguese?" asked our hero.
+
+"No."
+
+"Then Spanish?"
+
+"No," came again the curt answer.
+
+"Then what?"
+
+"Spanish father, Portuguese mother. By what right do your men
+interfere with me?"
+
+Tom ignored the question, and carefully investigated the papers
+Andrews had placed in his hands. There were a couple of rough maps,
+showing the British cantonments occupied by Wellington's troops, and
+a few lines of writing, drafted in a clear, good hand, and telling of
+the suspicion of the writer that Wellington was preparing to attack
+Ciudad Rodrigo.
+
+"You have been then to Ciudad before?" asked Tom severely.
+
+"That's my affair," came the rough answer.
+
+"And you call yourself a patriot? Who were these papers to be taken
+to? There is no address on the envelope."
+
+A smile of triumph, and then a scowl, crossed the ill-favoured face
+of the man. It was obvious that he meant to give no information.
+
+"Take him away," commanded Tom. "Mr. Barwood, put the prisoner up
+against that rock, and shoot him five minutes from now. Choose four
+of the men to carry out the sentence. There is not one who will not
+willingly obey and help to shoot a traitor."
+
+He repeated the words in English to the astonished Jack, and then
+turned away abruptly. But a moment later a cry brought him facing
+round again, to discover the renegade on his knees, begging for his
+life.
+
+"I will tell all," he wailed.
+
+"Then speak, and take care that it is the truth, for you will be kept
+here for a while, and shot if we have doubts. Now, you have been to
+Ciudad Rodrigo before?"
+
+The man shook his head emphatically.
+
+"For whom were the papers intended?"
+
+"For the general in command. But I was to deliver them to one who
+lives at a cabaret in the street of St. Angelo, and who would answer
+to the name of Francisco."
+
+"And then?"
+
+"I was to seek a lodging at the far end of the town, wait for a
+letter, and then return."
+
+"To whom?" asked Tom curtly, while the men about strained their ears
+to hear what was passing.
+
+"To my employer, _señor_."
+
+"And he is----?"
+
+"One whom I never met before. He lodges in a house in Oporto, and
+there I met him. His name I never heard. He is young and thin and
+dark. That is all I can tell you."
+
+Tom stood thinking for a while, and then walked to a distance with
+Jack Barwood.
+
+"Well?" he asked. "What would you do?"
+
+"Send along to Oporto," declared his adjutant. "Get hold of this
+employer."
+
+"And what about these papers?" asked Tom.
+
+"I'd dispatch them to headquarters."
+
+"Quite so; and then?"
+
+"Then?" asked Jack, a little troubled. "Then I'd set the watch again
+and see if I could catch others."
+
+"Good!" agreed Tom. "We'll do all that. Alfonso shall take a party to
+Oporto, carrying this fellow with him, with orders to scare him if he
+shows signs of lying. You shall send the papers to Wellington, with
+an explanation I shall write, and then I----"
+
+"Yes?" gasped Jack, conscious that his friend had all the while been
+leading up to the declaration of some plan.
+
+"I shall borrow this fellow's clothing. I'll write up a yarn which
+will do just as well as his papers, and then I'll seek out the
+owner of the cabaret in the street of St. Angelo, the man known as
+Francisco, and there discover all that there is to be learned with
+regard to Ciudad Rodrigo."
+
+It was a daring scheme to attempt; but then Tom had his orders.
+The following morning, in fact, found him stripped of his handsome
+staff uniform, and dressed in the clothes of their captive. He bade
+adieu to his comrades, went off down the height, and some two hours
+later was seen accosting the outposts placed by the French about the
+fortress. Jack and his friends, watching from above, saw their friend
+and leader disappear within a wide gateway. Thereafter, though they
+strained their eyes, there was not so much as a sign of him. He was
+gone altogether, swallowed by the massive defences of Ciudad Rodrigo,
+cut off from his friends, and surrounded by enemies who, if they
+discovered his disguise, would treat him as a spy and promptly shoot
+him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+Ciudad Rodrigo
+
+
+"Halt! Stand fast and give the countersign!"
+
+A huge French grenadier barred the road where it passed in beneath
+the frowning doorway of the fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo, and with his
+long bayonet dropped to the level of the chest of the intruder called
+upon him brusquely and in no uncertain tones to halt.
+
+"The countersign," he demanded once more, peremptorily, the point
+of his weapon actually entangled in the stranger's clothing, while
+the look on the soldier's face seemed to say that he would willingly
+make a little error and transfix him. As for the latter, he was a
+well-grown, active, young fellow, with tousled hair dangling over his
+eyes, a general appearance of untidiness, and a something about him
+which denoted neither the genuine Spaniard nor the genuine Portuguese.
+
+"Son of a dog no doubt," growled the sentry. "Neither fish nor flesh,
+nor yet good herring. A _peste_ on these loafers about this place.
+Poof! If I were here I should be fighting, instead of swilling wine
+and idling as do these men. Well?" he called loudly. "The word?"
+
+Tom looked up at the man from beneath the drawn-down brim of the
+tattered hat he had borrowed from the news bearer his men had
+captured. "Orleans," he murmured, putting into the word the queer
+accent to be expected of a stranger.
+
+"Ha! Then enter; but whither? The dog may be a spy of the British,"
+the man growled, and at the recollection, and the sudden suspicion,
+once more elevated the point of his weapon, and cleverly contrived to
+catch it in the lapel of Tom's coat.
+
+"The street of St. Angelo," answered our hero under his breath, as
+if he were imparting a secret. "To one Francisco, with news, you
+understand?"
+
+Apparently the man had learned some Spanish since the invasion of the
+Peninsula, and contrived to understand the words.
+
+"Then enter," he cried. "Enter."
+
+Down came the butt of his weapon with a clatter on the stones, while
+Tom passed on meekly. Indeed he was anxious to give the impression
+of one with little courage, merely a tale bearer. Also, he was in a
+hurry to get away from the Frenchman. For always he was dogged with
+the fear that he might by some evil chance come face to face with
+one of the troopers with whom he had fought the Portuguese peasants.
+However, the grenadier was not one of them. Tom left him standing at
+ease, and at once clambered up the steep way leading to the town. As
+for the grenadier, he watched the retreating figure of the stranger
+reflectively.
+
+"A Spaniard? No," he told himself. "A Portuguese? _Parbleu!_
+Impossible! He has not the colouring. Then what? A mixture? No.
+Then--English!"
+
+The very suspicion set him marching to and fro with energy. His
+musket flew to his shoulder, and then came down again with a bump.
+The grenadier was consumed with doubt for some few moments, and then
+with suspicion that soon became certainty. He called loudly for the
+serjeant of the guard, made his report, and was promptly relieved.
+A few minutes later he was hurrying in the direction Tom had taken,
+with three of his grenadier comrades to assist him.
+
+"A fairly tall, broad-shouldered ragamuffin," he explained. "One with
+the appearance and manner of a coward at first sight, and with the
+frame and body of an athlete, and the eyes of one who has courage in
+abundance. Seek for him; if he fails to surrender on demand, shoot!"
+
+It was a very pleasant prospect for Tom, and no doubt, had he known
+what was happening, he would have hastened his footsteps, and
+would have promptly taken measures to ensure his escape. But Tom
+had important work to do, work which required time and patience.
+First, there was the envelope to deliver, with the fictitious
+plans he had drawn, and the wording that told not of Wellington's
+anticipated attempt of Ciudad Rodrigo, but of his retirement towards
+Lisbon. In fact, Tom had fabricated a yarn which, if the governor
+of this fortress believed it, would throw dust in his eyes and aid
+Wellington's plans enormously. Then there was a tour to be made of
+the defences, the guns to be located and counted, and any special
+works recorded on the plan he must draw. Our hero was, indeed,
+engaged on recognizance work of the utmost importance, work hardly
+likely to be facilitated by the three grenadiers who were making so
+hurriedly after him.
+
+"The street of St. Angelo," he repeated to himself; "one Francisco."
+
+Selecting a lad who was playing in the street, he enquired the way of
+him.
+
+"Up there to the right, then to the left sharp. It's the last street
+in that direction," he was told, the boy evidently seeing nothing
+strange about him. Tom promptly took the direction indicated, and,
+following the turnings in succession, came to the street he was
+searching for.
+
+"Francisco lives at a cabaret at the corner," he reminded himself.
+"There it is: 'Michael Francisco, dealer in wine.' And there's the
+fellow himself."
+
+A beetle-browed, untidy individual was sitting just within the
+entrance to the cabaret, warming his toes at a charcoal brazier. From
+a room within came the sound of voices, the tinkle of a stringed
+instrument, and the chink of glasses, while from a spot still farther
+away, perhaps in the back regions of the dwelling, the voice of a
+scolding woman could be heard, drowning the other sounds completely
+for some few seconds. Tom looked cautiously about him, and then
+sauntered up to the door.
+
+"One Francisco?" he asked. "Of the street of St. Angelo?"
+
+"The same," came the immediate answer, while the proprietor of the
+place looked him over sharply. "And you?"
+
+"Someone with a message from Oporto for you to deal with. Here it is."
+
+An exclamation of delight broke from the man, who at once seized the
+envelope. "You have orders to wait, then, my friend?" he asked.
+
+"I have; I shall seek a lodging down the street. To-night I will come
+for the answer."
+
+"Then step inside now and take a glass," the man said promptly.
+"To-night there shall be an answer. Come, a glass. Ho there, wine!"
+he shouted.
+
+The scolding voice ceased of a sudden, while a woman appeared at the
+door of a room located at the end of the passage. Some five minutes
+later she brought a tray containing glasses, and poured wine into two
+of them.
+
+"To our success!" cried Francisco, lifting his glass and speaking
+significantly.
+
+"And may you get what every traitor deserves," thought Tom as he
+lifted his own allowance. "To you!" he cried, tipping the glass
+upward.
+
+It was just at that moment that, glancing through the bottom of his
+upturned glass, and aslant through the open door of the cabaret,
+which being set at the corner of the street commanded a long view
+of it, our hero caught sight of four French grenadiers hastening
+along it. At their head was one who was almost a giant! His flowing
+moustaches and the breadth of his shoulders seemed strangely
+familiar, while a second look convinced Tom that it was the very man
+who had stood sentry at the gate and had admitted him.
+
+"Strange!" he thought. "They are the first soldiers I have seen in
+this direction, though there are others, of course. There are two in
+this cabaret at the moment, for I caught a glimpse of them. Ah, the
+big man is pointing! They are all hurrying--this looks ugly."
+
+It was one of those situations where one engaged in dangerous work
+such as our hero had undertaken might very well be captured before
+he was more than aware of his danger. Hesitation might mean his
+downfall. On the other hand, if he were mistaken in the designs
+of the approaching grenadiers, and they had no concern with him,
+then action at the moment might lead to suspicion on the part of
+Francisco, which would be almost as bad. Tom screwed up his eyes and
+looked closely at the oncomers; then, seeing them turn towards the
+cabaret, he asked a question in the most unconcerned voice possible.
+
+"Tell me," he said, "I may rest in here, upstairs where there is less
+noise? I have come fast from Oporto, and feel too tired even to seek
+for a lodging."
+
+"Then pass up the stairs," came the answer, while the innkeeper
+deposited his empty glass on the tray with a bang. "Pass upstairs,
+friend, and rest in the room overhead. In an hour perhaps, when I am
+free, I will go to the governor. There is no haste in these matters.
+Go now. I will attend to the customers who are now coming."
+
+He turned to greet the grenadiers, now within ten yards of the door,
+while Tom lounged to the stairs, and then darted up them. At the top
+he stood and listened for a few moments.
+
+"Ha!" he heard the big grenadier exclaim. "This is Francisco. Now, my
+friend, you have a caller. Where is he?"
+
+That was enough for Tom. It was clear that he was suspected, and
+equally clear that if he did not hasten he would be captured within
+a few minutes. But how was he to get away? He opened the nearest
+door and thrust his head into the room to which it gave admittance.
+It was empty; there was nothing there to help him. He went then to
+the next, and peered into it noiselessly. There was nothing there
+either----"Ah!" Tom gave vent to a startled exclamation, for a man
+lay full length on a bed--a man who seemed to be sunk in the depths
+of sleep. Who was he?
+
+He was across the room in an instant, bending over the man. Yes, he
+was sunk in a profound slumber, and, if Tom could have guessed it,
+Francisco's wine had something to say to the fellow's drowsiness. But
+whatever the cause Tom's attention was instantly switched in another
+direction, for it appeared that the fellow had dragged off his
+clothing, and there, thrown carelessly on the floor, was the uniform
+of a French soldier.
+
+"I think----" began our hero, cogitating deeply. "Ah! they're coming
+upstairs, that innkeeper and the grenadiers. I must chance it."
+
+He stooped over the clothing, dragged the red breeches over his own,
+pulled them tight at the waist, and threw on the long-tailed surcoat
+so loved by the French. Round went the belt, hitching with a click,
+while the hat followed in a twinkling. Then he sat down, dragged off
+his boots, and was in the act of pulling on one belonging to the
+sleeper, when he heard footsteps on the landing outside and gruff
+voices.
+
+"They'll look in here, and see that fellow asleep," he told himself.
+"No they won't, if I'm sharp. How's that?"
+
+Very swiftly he sprang towards the bed and dragged a curtain into
+position, for the latter hung from a horizontal iron rod, and was
+intended to shut off a cubicle containing the bed. He had hardly got
+back to his seat, and was again pulling on a boot, when there came a
+thump at the door and again loud voices.
+
+"I tell you that there is only a brother soldier of yours in here,"
+he heard the innkeeper exclaim testily. "He is asleep, or was a
+little while ago. He has been here making merry with some friends,
+and fell asleep down below. We carried him to bed and pulled off his
+clothes."
+
+"Then if he is asleep, open and let us see him," he heard from the
+grenadier in villainous Spanish. "Open, man, in the name of the
+Emperor!"
+
+There was another bang at the door, which at once flew open. Tom,
+with his back to the entrance, leaned over and pulled at the boot.
+
+"Ha!" he heard from behind him. "The rascal! He is awake. Well,
+comrade?"
+
+"Well," answered our hero in a dull, thick voice. "Well."
+
+"That's you, eh?"
+
+"Me, right enough," Tom coughed sleepily. "What's the time?"
+
+"Time you were back in barracks," came the gruff answer.
+
+The door banged, and again voices were heard on the landing.
+
+"Not there," the grenadier told his friends. "The landlord is right.
+There is merely a sleepy, half-tipsy comrade. No wonder, too; these
+rascals of innkeepers sell the worst of wine at the highest figure.
+But search the other rooms. You, Jacques, stand at the head of the
+stairs; we will not have our bird bolting. Now, my man, lead on
+again."
+
+Tom listened attentively, and wondered what his next move should be.
+
+"Walk out in this uniform, I suppose. But it'd be risky; I'd be
+likely to be accosted by other soldiers. I might get an order from
+an officer. Still, for the time being, it would do. But I must find
+some other disguise, for the whole garrison will soon be on the
+lookout for a young chap dressed like a civilian. I was suspicious of
+that grenadier; I was afraid he had spotted me. Ah, there they go!"
+
+More voices reached his ear. The French grenadiers stopped at the
+head of the stairs and discussed the matter.
+
+"Not here--flown through the far window," he heard one say. "Best be
+after him."
+
+"See here, Jacques," came to his ear. "Go down to the main guard and
+warn them to send round to all the gates. If we don't get the spy
+here, we'll have him as he attempts to leave. Tell them to search
+every civilian."
+
+There was a clatter outside the cabaret after that, and then silence.
+Tom peeped out of the door and found the landing empty. He turned,
+hearing a sound from the bed, to find the sleeper sitting up on one
+arm, drowsily regarding him from the edge of the curtain which he had
+drawn aside.
+
+"What cheer, comrade!" the fellow gurgled with an inane smile. "Time
+for parade?"
+
+"Not a bit," answered our hero promptly. "Get to sleep again. It'll
+clear your head. There; I'll draw the curtain."
+
+He swung the curtain right across the end of the bed and heard the
+soldier flop down again on his pillows. Then, once more, he went
+to the door. There was no one about, though on peering out of the
+window he saw the landlord standing in the street outside with a
+curious crowd about him.
+
+"Said a spy had been here," he was shouting angrily. "As if I,
+Francisco, would harbour such an one. A spy indeed! What does an
+innkeeper have to do with spying?"
+
+The crafty fellow did not tell the listeners that he was an agent
+of the French, the go-between for information of the movements of
+the British, the men who had come to the country to free himself
+and his nation from the grip of France. And he scouted the idea
+that his messenger could have been an Englishman, or the message he
+brought written by other than the traitor who hid himself in Oporto
+and hired rascals like himself in the neighbourhood of Wellington's
+camp. To this Francisco it was out of the question that Tom could
+be anything but what he represented himself to be. But that others
+thought differently was certain; for there was a bustle all over
+the defences. Tom could see squads of men marching swiftly. Mounted
+messengers galloped here and there, while a double company was massed
+at the gate by which he had entered.
+
+"They've made up their minds that they've a spy here, and that's
+the end of it," he told himself. "Soon there'll be a call for all
+the troops, and this fellow here will be bustled out to join 'em.
+That'll be awkward. What can I do? Ah, let's see what the other rooms
+contain!"
+
+He went scuttling across the landing and dived into a room almost
+opposite. It belonged, probably, to the daughter of the house, for it
+was neat and tidy, while a couple of dresses hung on the wall. Tom
+pulled a cupboard open and peeped in.
+
+"Got it!" he cried. "Here's the very thing--a sort of mantilla. Now
+for the dress and anything else likely to come handy."
+
+He swept up an armful and dived back to the room he had been
+occupying. There he threw off the French uniform and dressed himself
+in the new garments he had secured.
+
+"Not half bad," he grinned, as he stood before a cracked glass
+perched on a rickety table. "My uncle, as Jack would say, but I'm
+not half bad-looking when dressed as a girl! Am I right, though?
+Wish I knew more about these things. If only there was another
+glass I'd be able to see what my back looks like. Now, we practise
+walking. Gently does it. Hang this skirt! Nearly took a header that
+time, and--yes--I've torn the thing badly. Want a pin for that. Got
+it--here it is, just handy."
+
+Afraid? Not a bit of it; Tom wasn't that. Merely hugely excited, for
+the occasion was somewhat strenuous. The noise outside, the blare of
+bugles, the rattle of drums and the clatter of moving troops told
+him that plainly. Also he guessed, and guessed rightly, that he was
+the cause of all the bustle. He swung the mantilla over his head,
+half-swathed his face in it, took one last look at his reflection,
+and then went to the door. No one was moving upstairs; the coast was
+clear.
+
+"Straight bang for the window," he told himself. "Wonder what's
+below? Wouldn't there be a howl if they saw a girl dropping from one.
+Here we are. This'll do--out we go!"
+
+There was a sheer drop of ten or more feet into an enclosed yard at
+the back of the house; but a door led from the yard into a lane, and
+that promised to give access to one of the streets. Tom did not wait
+a moment. Indeed, the sound of steps on the stairs hastened him,
+while, as if everything must needs conspire to thwart his hopes, the
+door he had so recently closed on the sleeping soldier opened, and
+that individual staggered out on to the landing. By then Tom was half
+through the window. He waited not an instant, but swung himself down
+and dropped to the ground. Dashing across to the gate he was through
+it in a few moments.
+
+"Steady does it," he murmured, finding it extremely difficult to obey
+the order and to refrain from running. "There's that idiot grinning
+at me from the window. Ah, that places me out of sight! Guess he's
+considerably astonished."
+
+There was little doubt but that the soldier was flabbergasted. In his
+sleepy, maudlin condition he found it very hard to understand the
+meaning of the scene he had but just witnessed. He was filled with a
+stupid admiration of the pluck of the damsel he had seen leap from
+the window, but felt no further interest. His muddled mind asked for
+no reason for such behaviour, while his ignorance of the commotion
+then filling the place, and of the search that was being made for a
+spy, left him merely admiring a feat which was to him extraordinary.
+
+As for Tom, he stepped down the lane and was soon in the main street,
+that of St. Angelo. A crowd of excited individuals of all ages and
+of both sexes was hastening down towards the main guard, and, since
+he could do nothing better, he went with them, safer in their midst
+than he could have been in any other position. Parties of soldiers
+passed them constantly, while all down the street houses were being
+searched, and every civilian of the male sex stopped and closely
+questioned. As a result there was an extraordinary hubbub. Women
+shrieked indignantly from their windows, resenting such intrusion,
+while men stood sullenly at their doors, looking as if they would
+have gladly murdered the Frenchmen.
+
+"Seems to me that I've dropped on the only real disguise," Tom
+chuckled. "But there's one thing to be remembered: if the daughter of
+Francisco goes to her room she will discover what has happened, then
+there'll be another flare up. Time I looked into the business part of
+this thing seriously."
+
+He had come carefully armed with a small notebook and pencil, and,
+having in the past two months received some instruction in sketching,
+he felt sure that he had only to use his eyes, and discover a retired
+spot, when he would be able to gather a sufficiently correct plan
+of the defences. Indeed he strolled about, first with one batch of
+excited inhabitants and then with another, till he had made a round
+of the place, retiring now and again to some quiet corner where he
+jotted down his observations. Every gun he saw was marked, every
+earthwork drawn in with precision. A few careful questions gave him
+the position of stores and magazines, while a little smiling chat
+with a French sentry, who seemed to admire this girl immensely, put
+Tom in possession of the strength of the garrison, the name of the
+general in command, and the fact that other troops were nowhere in
+the vicinity.
+
+"Then it's time to think of departing. That'll be a conundrum," he
+told himself. "Couldn't drop over the walls, that's certain. Halloo!
+mounted men have been sent out to cut me off should I try to make a
+dash from the place. This is getting particularly awkward."
+
+It was well past noon by now, and Tom was getting ravenously hungry.
+He stood amongst a group of civilians on one of the walls of the
+place looking out towards the part where Jack and his men were
+secreted. Troopers could be seen cantering here and there, while
+others were halted at regular intervals, and stood beside their
+horses prepared to mount and ride at any moment. Strolling along
+with his new acquaintances our hero was soon able to get a glimpse
+of the other side of Ciudad Rodrigo and its surroundings there. But
+there was not a break in the line of troopers circling the place.
+It was evident, in fact, that no effort was to be spared to capture
+the fellow whom the grenadier had first suspected. Nor was there
+any doubt in the mind of the French general that his suspicion was
+justified; for Francisco had now disgorged the papers Tom had handed
+him, and these on inspection proved to be wanting in one particular.
+The secret sign of the agent who was supposed to have sent them,
+which was always attached to such papers, was lacking, proof positive
+that the news was false and the bearer an enemy.
+
+It was, perhaps, two or three hours after noon when Tom mixed with
+a crowd of curious citizens at the very gate which he had entered
+that morning, and watched as soldiers came and went. Sometimes
+a civilian would pass through also, though in every case he was
+closely inspected. As for the women and children, as yet they had not
+ventured out. But curiosity soon got the better of them. A laughing
+dame thrust her way through, the guard passing her willingly. Then
+the others pressed forward, and in a little while Tom was outside,
+sauntering here and there, wistfully looking at those hills which he
+had left in the morning.
+
+"And still as far away as ever," he told himself. "Wish I could get
+hold of a horse--that would do it. What's the matter now? There's
+another disturbance in the town; people are shouting. Here's a
+trooper galloping out."
+
+By then he was some distance from the outer wall, but still within
+the ring of dismounted troopers. And, as he had observed, there was
+another commotion. In a few minutes, indeed, there was a movement
+amongst the civilians. Those nearest the gate were hastening back,
+while troopers galloped out to fetch in stragglers. One of these came
+dashing up to the group Tom accompanied.
+
+"Get back through the gates," he commanded brusquely.
+
+"And why?" asked the same laughing dame who had led the movement from
+the fortress. "Why, friend?"
+
+"Because there is a vixen amongst you who is not what she seems," the
+man answered angrily. "There's information that this spy borrowed
+women's clothing; you may be he. We'll have to look into the
+matter--back you all go."
+
+He was a rough fellow, who held no love for these people, and riding
+amongst them actually upset the woman who had spoken, causing her to
+shriek aloud.
+
+"Coward!" she cried, picking herself up with difficulty and trembling
+at his violence.
+
+"Eh!" exclaimed the brute, angered at the taunt. "Now bustle, and
+keep a civil tongue between your teeth--bustle, I say."
+
+He edged his horse still closer, till the woman fell again, terrified
+by the close approach of the animal the trooper rode.
+
+"Shame!" cried Tom, his gorge rising. "Do the French then fight with
+women?"
+
+He had called out in the voice of a woman, and looked, in fact,
+merely a young girl. But that made little difference to this brute
+of a trooper. He set his horse in Tom's direction, and looked as
+if he would actually ride over him. And then there was a sudden
+and unexpected change; for the young girl displayed the most
+extraordinary activity. She leaped aside, darted in, and sprang
+up behind the trooper. For a moment there was a tussle; and then
+the trooper was lifted from his saddle and tipped out on to the
+ground. Before the astonished and frightened crowd of women could
+realize what was happening, or the trooper gather a particle of his
+scattered wits, the girl was firmly planted in his place, her feet
+were jammed in the stirrups, and there was presented to all who
+happened to be looking in that direction as strange a sight as could
+be well imagined. Shrieks filled the air; men shouted hoarsely to one
+another, while the troopers standing at their horses' heads leaped
+into their saddles.
+
+"It is the spy! It is the English spy!" was shouted from the walls.
+"The spy!" bellowed the bullying soldier whom Tom had unhorsed,
+making a funnel of his hands and turning to the trooper who was
+nearest.
+
+"Follow!" came in stentorian tones from the nearest officer.
+
+Then began a race the like of which had never been witnessed outside
+Ciudad Rodrigo. Tom clapped the heels of his French boots to the
+flanks of his borrowed horse, while the mantilla that had done him
+such service, caught by the breeze, went blowing out behind him.
+Bending low, he sent the animal galloping direct for the hills,
+smiling grimly as the crack of carbines came from behind him.
+
+[Illustration: TOM ESCAPES FROM CIUDAD RODRIGO]
+
+"Jack'll be up there waiting," he thought as he glanced ahead. "He'll
+soon send these fellows back once they get within shot. Pah! That was
+a near one; the bullet struck my boot. Beg pardon, not my boot, but
+that fellow's at the cabaret. Glad there's no horsemen in front of
+me. So much the better; it's going to be a fine gallop."
+
+A fine gallop it proved, too. His mount was blown before the chase
+was over, while had it lasted a little longer he would certainly
+have been taken. But of a sudden heavy musketry fire broke out from
+a point a little to one side. Dark figures, clad in the well-known
+rough uniform of Tom's guerrillas, appeared on the hillside. And then
+a shrill whistle sounded. It was perhaps a minute later that Tom
+threw himself from his horse and stood amongst his comrades. And how
+Jack roared with laughter, how the men grinned their delight, how
+Andrews, who had but just reached the party spluttered and attempted
+to behave as became a disciplined soldier!
+
+"Introduce me, do," gurgled Jack, seizing Alfonso by the arm and
+doubling up with merriment. "Miss what's-her-name, eh?"
+
+"Clifford, at your service," grinned Tom, "and don't you forget it!"
+
+"Of all the boys!" spluttered Andrews, his face red with his efforts.
+"I knew he had backbone, but this here's something different."
+
+"Allow me," said Jack in his most gallant manner, offering an arm.
+"Excuse me if I appear a little forward."
+
+"Rats!" was Tom's somewhat abrupt answer. "Let the boys fall in.
+We'll march at once; I've had a spree, I can tell you."
+
+It was with grins of delight and many an exclamation that his
+comrades listened to the tale, a narrative soon passed on by Alfonso
+to their following. Meanwhile Tom tore his borrowed clothing from
+him, donned his handsome uniform, and made ready for more active
+movement.
+
+"We've done a good part of our work," he said. "Now for that fellow
+in Oporto. Let's ride back to the camp, leaving some of our men to
+watch the roads near it. I'll hand my notes in to the chief of the
+staff, and then look into the last part of this matter. Wonder who
+the rogue is who's such a friend of Francisco, and sends news to the
+men that are enemies of his country."
+
+They might all wonder, and the reader need not feel surprised if he
+learns that this rascal was too clever for those who sought him.
+The hovel to which the man whom Tom's guerrillas had captured led
+them--and who had promised information in return for his life--was
+empty. There was no particle of evidence to prove where the rascal
+had flown; but careful search discovered a note hidden in a crevice
+of the ceiling, and when that was opened the information contained
+proved to be of little value.
+
+"Come to Badajoz," it said. "There ask for Juan de Milares, in the
+street of St. Paulo. There is still work to be done and money to be
+earned for the doing."
+
+"Same handwriting without a doubt," declared Jack emphatically. "The
+bird's flown, and Badajoz is out of the question."
+
+As a general rule one would have agreed with him; for, like
+Ciudad Rodrigo, that fortress was garrisoned by the French. But
+circumstances alter cases, and Tom soon recognized this to be a fact,
+since there was further information awaiting him in Oporto. A visit
+to the house of Septimus John Clifford & Son discovered something
+approaching a tragedy. For Juan de Esteros had disappeared that very
+evening, and with him no less a person than Septimus John Clifford
+himself.
+
+"But where?" demanded Tom, filled with apprehension.
+
+"Alas, there is nothing to tell us!" answered the chief clerk, as
+faithful a fellow as the worthy Huggins. "They left without a word to
+anyone, without so much as a sound. They dined together and sat on
+the veranda reading. Later they retired to their rooms; after that we
+know nothing."
+
+"But," exclaimed Tom, aghast at the mystery, "surely there's----"
+
+"There is merely this," came the answer, while a slip of paper was
+thrust into his hands. "We found it resting on the table, weighted so
+that it could not blow away. Read, _señor_."
+
+Tom scanned the lines for some few moments, while his smooth forehead
+wrinkled deeply. "Thus is the house of Septimus John Clifford & Son
+punished," he read, the Spanish letters being scrawled across the
+paper. Yes scrawled. In a moment he recognized that writing. It was
+put upon the paper by the selfsame man who had sent information to
+the commandant at Ciudad Rodrigo, the traitor who was eager and
+willing to supply news which would help the enemies of his country.
+
+"Well? What next?" asked Jack when the fact had been explained to him.
+
+"To Badajoz, that's all," came the short answer. "This villain's got
+hold of my father and uncle for some reason or other. It's plainly my
+duty to look into the matter; so I'll pay Badajoz a visit, just as I
+went to Ciudad Rodrigo. Wonder who this chap is and what game he's up
+to? But duty first, Jack; we'll make back to the camp and see what's
+expected of us."
+
+If Tom had hoped to pursue a private matter just then he was to be
+disappointed. For barely was Christmas past, and the new year entered
+upon, when Wellington threw the whole force he commanded against
+Ciudad Rodrigo. Pressing the siege with intense energy--for there
+was always the fear that the French would concentrate on him from
+all parts and raise the siege before it was successfully over--he
+launched his attacking parties after remarkably short delay. The
+fighting which resulted was of the severest description, and the
+greatest gallantry and resolution was shown by either side. But
+British pluck won. The defences were captured, and within a few hours
+of the assault the place which Tom had visited was garrisoned by
+British instead of by French soldiers. Then Wellington turned toward
+Badajoz, outside which Tom and his men had for two weeks past thrown
+out a circle of their men, thus cutting all communications.
+
+"It'll be a hard nut to crack," observed the merry Jack, casting his
+eye up at the defences; "but I suppose we'll do it."
+
+"We must," declared Tom with emphasis. "Anyway, I've got to get
+inside the place and unravel this mystery. There's father and Don
+Juan to find and release, and then there's that rascal who took them."
+
+But would Tom, or indeed any of our men, ever get within this
+terribly grim fortress? It seemed unlikely enough, viewing the
+defences, and we may declare here and now that before our hero was to
+set foot within the place he was to take part in fighting of the very
+fiercest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+One of the Forlorn Hope
+
+
+"A terribly hard nut to crack," observed Jack, for perhaps the
+twentieth time, as he and Tom sat their horses on a ridge above
+Badajoz, and looked down upon the fortress. "It'll be interesting
+to see how Wellington sets about the matter. Suppose there'll be a
+tremendous cannonade, and then an assault. Wish we were going to be
+in it."
+
+"I mean to, whatever happens," came from our hero, who was staring
+down at the fortress, as if he wished to guess in which house his
+father and Don Juan were imprisoned. "As to how it'll be done,
+there's no saying; for I've never witnessed a siege before. But
+apparently the sappers and miners dig their way toward the fortress,
+erecting batteries as they go, till they are so close that our guns
+can batter down the walls. Then comes the grand assault. I can
+imagine that that is a terrific business. Well, let's ride round the
+place and see what's happening. There's very little else for us to do
+just now, and we can leave the men with Alfonso."
+
+For two weeks past the combined command of Portuguese and Spanish
+guerrillas whom Tom had charge of had been operating about the
+magnificent fortress which Wellington had determined to capture.
+Throwing a circle completely about the place, they had cut the
+garrison off entirely from the outside world, and thus had enabled
+Wellington to concentrate his men without alarming the French. For
+here again, as in the case of Ciudad Rodrigo, it was all-important
+that the siege operations should not be disturbed by the arrival
+of a large French force, against whom our troops would have to act
+before taking the fortress. As in the case of Ciudad Rodrigo, had
+information leaked out the enemy could easily have concentrated a
+force in the neighbourhood, sufficient to delay and make impossible
+all siege operations. But, thanks to secrecy in his preparations,
+thanks, too, in no small measure to the work of such corps as Tom
+commanded, the intentions of Wellington were quite unknown, till,
+of a sudden, in the March following his capture of Ciudad Rodrigo,
+he turned his divisions in the direction of Badajoz, a fortress
+sometimes known as "the gate of Spain," and, crossing the River
+Guadiana on the 16th, caused the place to be invested by the three
+divisions commanded by Beresford and Picton. The remainder of his
+troops, some 60,000 in all, counting Spanish and Portuguese allies,
+covered the siege operations.
+
+Looking down from the point of vantage to which they had ridden, Tom
+and his chum could obtain a bird's-eye view of the ancient fortress
+of Badajoz, and could easily trace its outline. But the arrival
+of a staff officer helped them wonderfully to understand what was
+occurring before their eyes. Cantering up the hill at this moment,
+and looking the smart fellow he was, this officer drew rein close to
+the two young fellows, acknowledging their salutes with one as brisk,
+and with a smile.
+
+"Taking the air?" he asked. "We shall have plenty of it before we've
+done with the Frenchies. Ah! that's Clifford, I believe."
+
+Tom saluted again and flushed.
+
+"The officer the French refuse to fight, eh?"
+
+Our hero was compelled to agree, with heightened colour, whereat the
+officer laughed loudly.
+
+"And his adjutant along with him, too," he remarked, looking the
+unabashed Jack up and down, and reflecting that he seemed to be a
+very smart and jovial fellow. "You chaps know how you're spoken of,
+perhaps, eh?" he asked with another smile, causing both the lads to
+shake their heads.
+
+"Then I'll tell you. Never is one seen but the other is at his heels.
+So throughout the army you're known as the 'twins.' Good name, isn't
+it?"
+
+Once more they heard his hearty laughter, which they shared with
+him; for this was news to our two heroes. Not that they could help
+admitting that there was reason for the name they had earned, since
+Jack Barwood had become Tom's veritable shadow. They seemed to haunt
+the same piece of ground always, and even when with their command
+the jovial Jack was ever at the side of his superior. There was
+a whisper also amongst the men, fostered not a little by voluble
+sayings of Andrews and his brother rifleman, that these two young
+officers, occupying such posts of responsibility, were nevertheless
+not above a little skylarking. Indeed, if Tom and Jack had proved
+that they were eager and ready to lead their men into action, they
+had also more than once shown a disposition to lead them into
+mischief.
+
+"Well, now, let's have a look at the place," said the officer,
+producing a short spyglass. "You can see for yourselves how the
+fortress is placed. It stands on an eminence at the junction of the
+Rivers Guadiana and Rivillas, the former being crossed by a long
+bridge, which you can see for yourself. There's the castle, perched a
+hundred feet above the level of the rivers, and occupying almost the
+apex of the point of confluence. The town spreads behind it fan-wise,
+and is walled, presenting eight strong bastions, with curtains,
+counterscarps, glacis, and covered ways, without doubt, all helping
+to make the place extremely strong. There are five gates, though
+you can't see them all from this point. There, take a look; you can
+actually observe people moving in the streets."
+
+The view was, in fact, an enchanting one; for Badajoz at that time
+was not an erection of a few years, but one of great antiquity. It
+had withstood sieges against the Moors and Goths, and had been taken
+and retaken many a time; and there it was fully prepared for another
+siege, garrisoned by some 5000 of the enemy, and packed to repletion
+with guns, ammunition, and food; in fact with all that makes defence
+possible.
+
+"And how will the siege be conducted?" asked Tom, when he had taken a
+long look at the place. "Shall we endeavour to make a breach at one
+point or at many?"
+
+"Many," came the short answer. "No doubt Wellington will launch his
+attacking parties in several directions. But first he must smash
+up that work you see on the far side of the river, known as Fort
+Picurina. Batteries will be placed elsewhere, and I believe the angle
+nearest us has been selected, as well as that farthest away, close to
+the Trinidad and St. Vincent bastions respectively. In a few hours
+the guns will be thundering in a manner which will open your eyes."
+
+The bombardment that followed was, in fact, a revelation to our
+hero; for, though Wellington might easily have been better equipped
+for a siege, and have had a far superior battering train, the guns
+he possessed were nevertheless of service. Nor must it be forgotten
+that these same guns had been brought into position only after the
+very greatest labour and secrecy; for they had been sent round by sea
+from Lisbon, had then been transported up the River Setubal in small
+boats, to Alcacer do Sal, and thence by land across the Alemtejo to
+the River Guadiana.
+
+Think of the labour involved in such an operation, of the secrecy
+necessary to keep the movement from the knowledge of the French.
+Think also of the small army of helpers, all taking part in this war,
+and yet working out of sound of gun shot, and far from the presence
+of the enemy. That, perhaps is a question which escapes the notice
+of many. The tale of some campaign brings to light narratives of
+gallant deeds, of fierce attacks, of strenuous fighting; it leaves
+too often to the imagination of one ignorant of the life of a
+soldier, and of the needs of a campaign, all the numerous services
+upon which success of an army in the field depends. For if there be
+no one to supervise the stores, and to dispatch them to the seat
+of war, how can troops operate in a country devoid almost of food,
+where ammunition cannot be obtained, and where boots, clothing, and
+a thousand other necessary trifles wear out, are lost, or destroyed
+with alarming rapidity? Think, then, of the host labouring out of
+sight of the enemy, but labouring nevertheless. Think also of the
+other numerous band marching with troops as non-combatants, and yet
+subject to as great dangers, the very same privations, and bearing
+on their shoulders equal, if not greater, responsibilities; for with
+the troops there must be men to see to the distribution of food, to
+gather stores, and apply for all that is necessary. There must be
+trained officers to look to the ailments of horses, and, above all,
+perhaps, there must be an army of surgeons to care for the wounded
+and the thousands more who go down under privation and exposure.
+
+Riding round the bivouacs of the besieging army after their chat with
+the staff officer, Tom began to gather a better impression than he
+had ever had before of the numerous duties attached to soldiering.
+
+In the background, well away from the investing regiments, were
+many horse lines, where rows of animals were picketed, their riders
+being encamped near at hand. Closer to the fortress lay the lines
+of regiments engaged in the actual work of the siege, and here many
+a camp fire blazed. Whole rows of camp kettles sat over the long
+trenches dug in the muddy ground, while the flames from wood fires
+swept beneath them and sent billows of odorous steam into the air.
+Butchers were at work slaughtering beasts bought for the feeding of
+the troops, while not far away a sentry stood guard over a spring
+which was the drinking supply for that portion of the army. But
+it was still nearer the fortress that the real interest lay; for
+there hundreds of men were delving, cutting trenches, and steadily
+advancing them toward the enemy. Indeed, that very day, they had need
+of every bit of cover; for guns opened from Badajoz, and clouds of
+grapeshot swept across the open.
+
+"Hot work, ain't it?" grinned Jack, who with Tom was making a tour
+of inspection. "Put your head up, Tom, and take a squint at those
+Frenchies."
+
+"And get it shot to pieces for my trouble. Thanks!" came the laughing
+answer. "George! Listen to that."
+
+"My uncle!" came from the young adjutant. "A regular torrent. How
+long and how often do they pepper you like that?" he asked of the
+sapper ensign who had invited them to inspect the work.
+
+"How often? Couldn't say," was the laconic answer, as if the
+thunderous discharge of the guns of the enemy, and the roar of clouds
+of grape sweeping overhead were an everyday occurrence, and hardly
+worth discussion. "Oh, pretty often, especially at night! But it'd be
+all right if it weren't for this awful weather. You see, a chap has
+to grovel when the guns open, and that's bad for uniforms."
+
+He was something of a dandy, this immaculate ensign of sappers, and
+stepped daintily along the deep trenches already constructed by
+the British working parties. Tom watched him with admiration as he
+brushed some dirt from his laced sleeve with a silk handkerchief, and
+then wondered satirically for one brief moment if this young officer
+were merely a heap of affectation, useless for any real work, merely
+an ornament to the profession to which he belonged.
+
+"Certainly not that," he told himself a few seconds later, after
+seeing more of the ensign. "He's a born dandy, perhaps, but he's a
+plucky beggar, and a fine example to his men."
+
+That, in fact, was precisely what this ensign was, as was the case
+with many another officer in Wellington's army. Example is everything
+when men are engaged in strenuous operations; and if those in command
+show coolness, determination, sangfroid, and other virtues, their own
+particular men are wonderfully heartened. And here was this ensign
+coolly flicking dirt from his laced sleeve, while a foot overhead
+grapeshot swept past in a torrent. There he was, joking and laughing
+with the jovial Jack as if he had not so much as a serious thought
+in his head, and as if this were merely a game. But a minute later
+he was leading the way to an outwork, strolling negligently across a
+portion necessarily exposed to the bullets of the enemy, and showing
+not so much as a sign of haste.
+
+"Come along," he sang out to our hero. "It's a little warm crossing,
+but it's generally all right. We had three caught by the enemy's
+bullets yesterday, but that's because they would stop to star gaze.
+Ah, very neat shooting, eh? I declare, the beggar has cut one of my
+epaulettes off with his shot!"
+
+It was true enough. Tom had heard a shot fired from the fortress, for
+the trench they had just left was within long range of an outwork
+manned by the enemy. He had instantly seen the left epaulette of the
+ensign rise in the air, spin round merrily, and then fall to the
+ground. And the young officer only showed annoyance at such an injury
+being done to his uniform! As for the men stationed in the trench
+behind, and those in the earthwork for which they were making, they
+watched the little scene with grins of amusement and delight.
+
+"Dicky Silvester, ensign. That's him," growled one of the sappers
+hoarsely to his neighbours. "Joined us a year ago, or less, and looks
+and acts as if he were a born soldier, and didn't care a fig for
+bullets or anything else. Who are the other orficers? Ain't they cool
+'uns too? My hat, Dicky ain't the only one as don't give a hang for
+bullets!"
+
+The cool behaviour of the three even raised a cheer before they had
+entered the earthwork, calling a sharp order from the ensign.
+
+"What's this?" he demanded, dropping slowly out of shot of the enemy,
+a manoeuvre which Tom and Jack followed. "Laughing and cheering when
+there's work to be done! Here----"
+
+Another patch of dirt on his uniform distracted his attention and
+cut short the speech. As for the men, they dashed their picks again
+into the ground and went on with their delving. Then whispers passed
+amongst them.
+
+"Blessed ef I don't think as the toff of an orficer in staff uniform
+ain't Mr. Tom Clifford, him as held up them Portuguese in a church,
+commanding the Frenchies who'd taken him as prisoner," said one.
+"Ain't that the one?"
+
+"And went right into Ciudad Rodrigo t' other day," agreed his
+comrade, "and come galloping out dressed as a gal. He's the boy. Law!
+He looks at Badajoz as if he was hungry to get inside, and had more
+almost to do with this siege than we have."
+
+Tom might indeed have been accused of that, for those wretchedly wet
+days in March, 1812, found him frequently in the trenches, watching
+as parallels were dug, eagerly measuring the advance of the busy army
+of sappers digging their way closer to the fortress. Or he would lie
+behind one of the batteries by day and by night, and would listen
+to the thunder of the guns, and would watch for the tell-tale spout
+of dust which shot into the air as the huge iron ball struck the
+bastion. Then would come the clatter of falling masonry, followed
+perhaps by a cheer from the gunners. More often the shot would be
+answered by a terrific hail of grape, which pattered overhead, swept
+the entire face of the batteries--and but for the fascines erected
+to give cover every one of the gunners would have been killed--then
+whizzed across the open, splashing into the many pools of water which
+had been left by the heavy and almost continuous rain. It seemed,
+indeed, slow work this siege operation; slow and perhaps not too sure.
+
+"For even when the breaches are practicable there are the defenders
+to be dealt with," thought Tom. "There will be mines to blow us up,
+obstructions of every sort, and grape and shot showered down upon us.
+But take the place we will; I mean to be one of the very first inside
+the fortress."
+
+Any doubts Tom may have had as to the determination of Lord
+Wellington were soon set at rest; for, the weather still continuing
+atrocious, and the trenches being flooded and almost uninhabitable,
+an assault of the Picurina was ordered, and the fort carried with
+brilliant dash by 500 men of the 3rd Division. The storm of shot
+and shell poured into the fort after we had gained possession of
+it was such that one wondered how the new garrison could live, for
+Phillipon, the commander of the French, did his utmost to drive us
+out. But our men stuck grimly to the task, and again plying their
+busy spades, soon had advanced to a point where batteries could be
+erected. And then began a trial of skill and endurance between the
+gunners of France and those of England. By day and by night the
+neighbourhood echoed to the roar. A pall of smoke hung over fortress
+and encampment, while in the depths of night guns flashed redly, and
+spluttering portfires hovered here and there as the gunners stood to
+their pieces. At length the work was done; the breaches were declared
+practicable, though to view them and the grim lines hovering in
+rear, prepared to defend every inch of the steeply-sloping rubbish,
+would have caused any but brave men to shiver. But Wellington's men
+were as determined as he; they had set their hearts on gaining the
+fortress. The call for a forlorn hope, as ever, produced a swarm
+of volunteers. That night of 6 April, a night the anniversary of
+which is ever kept with loving memory by those who now serve in the
+regiments then present at Badajoz, found 18,000 bold fellows craving
+for the signal which should launch them to the attack, craving for
+the signal which, alas! would launch many and many a gallant officer
+and lad into eternity. Let us, too, remember those heroes with
+honour, recollecting that by their gallantry and dash they helped in
+the work in progress, and that every fortress won in this Peninsula
+campaign was yet another step forward, a step that would add to the
+difficulties of Bonaparte, and which, with those which followed,
+ultimately brought about his downfall. Let us honour them as gallant
+souls who cast off the yoke then weighing upon the peoples of Europe.
+
+"You'll go with the stormers?" asked Jack of Tom, almost beneath his
+breath, as the two stood side by side in the trenches.
+
+"I've obtained permission, and go I shall," came the determined
+answer. "Now recollect, Jack, what I've said. If Badajoz is taken,
+the rascal who has captured my people will do his best to get out of
+the place. See that our men are lively when the first streak of dawn
+comes, and let them arrest any civilian."
+
+"Good luck! Take care," gasped Jack, loath to part with his old
+friend. "I'll watch outside and see that all is done as you've
+directed; but do take care. Recollect, the regiment can't do without
+you."
+
+He was sent off with a merry laugh from Tom, and straightway
+clambered up a rise from which he could view the proceedings. A
+strange silence hung about the fortress. Within and without the
+trenches, packed in the batteries, and in many another part lay the
+stormers, waiting, waiting for that signal. Picton's division on the
+right crouched over their scaling ladders, ready to rush to the walls
+of the castle. On the left, Sir James Leith's division waited to make
+a false attack on the Pardeleras, an outside work. But the Bastion de
+San Vincente was the real point of attack, and Walker's brigade, part
+of this division, was destined to assault it. The Light Division was
+to dash for the Santa Maria quarter, while the 4th was to hurl itself
+against the breach in the Trinidad quarter. The St. Roque bastion,
+in between these two latter, was to be stormed by Major Wilson, who
+was in command of the guards of the trenches. Finally, the Portuguese
+were to see what could be done with the Tête de Pont, the outwork on
+the far bank of the River Guadiana, commanding the head of the bridge.
+
+A dull hum above the trenches told of excitement. Flickering lights
+and a subdued murmur above the fortress showed that the defenders
+were prepared. Silently men gathered before the 4th and the Light
+Division, men provided with ladders and axes, with but few rounds of
+ammunition, and freed of their knapsacks. Each carried a sack filled
+with hay, which, it was hoped, would give some cover. And before
+those two parties waiting in front of the two divisions, and each
+counting 500 men, there fell in yet again two parties of heroes,
+the forlorn hopes, the officers and men who were sworn to enter the
+fortress, to show the way in, or to die in the attempt, noble souls
+who worked not for gold as a reward, but only for the honour and
+glory of their country.
+
+Ah! a blaze of light from a carcass hurled from the wall showed one
+of those advance parties. Shouts echoed from the fortress, then there
+came the splash of flame from guns, the spurting tongues of fire
+belched from muskets, and the thunder of the explosions. Cheers and
+hurrahs broke from our men. What matter if the alarm had been sounded
+half an hour before Wellington was to give the fatal signal? They
+were ready--the boys of the Light Brigade, the heroes of the 4th
+Division--the stormers all along the walls were ready. A mad babel
+broke the former silence or semi-silence, portfires flashed in all
+directions, while fireballs were hurled into the ditches, lighting
+the way of the stormers. Pandemonium was let loose at Badajoz that
+night. A cloudy, star-strewn sky looked down upon horrors which one
+hopes may never be repeated. For on the side of the French was shown
+great bravery and demoniacal cunning. Every artifice of the besieged
+was employed, while on the side of the British soldiers a mad, a
+frantic courage was displayed. What if mines did burst and blow
+hundreds to pieces? Their comrades dashed down into the ditch without
+hesitation, and cast themselves into the selfsame breach where the
+tragedy had been perpetrated. What if the enemy did cast bags of
+gunpowder into the confused ranks of the stormers? It was all the
+more inducement to them to dash onward.
+
+To describe all that occurred would be beyond us. Let us follow our
+hero, though, and see what happened in his direction. Tom was one of
+the forlorn hope. Shouldering his hay pack, and gripping his sword,
+he dashed at the breach before him when the alarm was given. The
+stunning discharge of a cannon to his front almost swept him from his
+feet, and cleared a lane through the comrades before him. A fireball
+danced down the steep slope of the breach and blazed brightly,
+showing the faces and figures of the enemy plainly, the muskets they
+were levelling, and an appalling _chevaux de frise_ erected at the
+top of the breach. Composed of naked sabre blades secured to logs of
+wood, this obstacle awaited the stormers before they could come to
+hand grips with the enemy. But that was not all. Tom stumbled over a
+boulder, floundered on to his face, and was then lifted boldly and
+flung aside by a mighty concussion.
+
+"A mine," he thought. "Am I alive or not? What's happened to the
+others?"
+
+He might well ask that. The poor fellows were swept out of existence
+almost to a man; but behind them were the noble five hundred, and in
+rear again the gallant Light Division. Before them was the breach;
+that terrible breach, with its defenders, its guns, its awful
+obstacle, and the hundred-and-one means there for the destruction
+of the stormers. Time and again did men dash at it. Gallant souls,
+driven crazy by the hazard they endured, and filled with fearful
+determination, clambered to that _chevaux de frise_ and were there
+slaughtered. Officers stood in full sight of the enemy calling to
+their men, leading them upward. And yet none could enter.
+
+Elsewhere the fighting had been equally strenuous. After many and
+many an attempt the castle was at length won, and later Walker's
+brigade tore its gallant way over the San Vincente Bastion,
+victorious in spite of mines and guns fired at point-blank range.
+It was from that quarter, in fact, that success at length came;
+for the Light and the 4th Divisions had as yet failed to burst
+their way through the breaches before them. But an advance from the
+direction of San Vincente took the defenders in the rear, and just
+as our men had retired at the orders of Wellington, preparatory to a
+fresh attack, those breaches were taken. Men burst in now from all
+directions; the enemy fled for the most part to Fort Christoval,
+over the river, and Badajoz was ours. Cheers and counter cheers
+were heard in all quarters. The wounded sat up as best they could
+and joined in the jubilation, and then pandemonium again broke out
+in every street of the city; for the victorious troops straightway
+got out of hand. They poured in a torrent through the streets of
+Badajoz, rifling the houses, and, breaking into the cabarets, helped
+themselves to the wines of Spain. That early morning, in fact,
+discovered a terrible situation in the fortress; for of order there
+was none. Drunken soldiers staggered over the pavements committing
+violence everywhere, while as many more were pillaging or doing
+actual violence to the unfortunate inhabitants. And all that while
+Tom Clifford lay on the slope of the breach which with many another
+gallant soul he had endeavoured to storm. Regiments passed over
+him. The surgeons and their bearers came and went in search of the
+wounded, and passed him always. For Tom lay stark and still. With his
+face half-buried in the torn tunic of a soldier who had died while
+doing his duty, and his limbs curled up as if he were asleep, he lay
+without a movement, appearing not even to breathe, lifeless to those
+who cast a casual glance at him.
+
+"Dead!" groaned Jack and Andrews when at length they found him.
+"Killed by the mine which wiped out every man of 'the forlorn hope.'
+Poor Tom!"
+
+"Breathing!" shouted Alfonso, who also accompanied him. "I tell you
+he is still alive."
+
+That brought them all about him, and within a few minutes our hero
+was being carried from the breach. But was he living still? Was
+Badajoz to see the end of a promising career, and put a stop to his
+quest? Or would Tom Clifford appear upon the scenes again, and still
+have something to say to the rascal who had abducted both father and
+uncle?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+Round about Badajoz
+
+
+There was a business-like air about the jovial Jack Barwood on the
+second morning after the fall of Badajoz, a seriousness about the
+smart young adjutant to which his friends were unaccustomed, a
+furrowing of his youthful brow, and an appearance of intentness and
+determination which would have aroused the friendly satire of old
+comrades. Dressed in the smart uniform of the gallant 60th Rifles,
+he marched briskly along one of the quieter streets, passing as he
+did so a half-company of infantry escorting a batch of semi-drunken
+soldiers, the gallant souls amongst Wellington's army who, now that
+the fighting was over, had lost all sense of discipline, and, aching
+no doubt for the many good things to which they had been strangers
+for so long, had burst their way into private dwellings and had
+behaved like scoundrels instead of brave soldiers.
+
+Jack took the salute of a Portuguese guerrilla sentry marching
+sedately to and fro before a huge door, and that too of a Spaniard,
+one also of the band under Tom's command.
+
+"Well?" he questioned in Portuguese, his accent none of the best.
+"Any news? Any more callers?"
+
+"None, _señor_."
+
+"And the news?"
+
+"Good, _señor_; he lives. He will get well and strong to command us."
+
+There was a gleam of pleasure in the eyes of the two sentries as Jack
+spoke, while they watched him beat upon the door and enter.
+
+"A fine officer; one of the English!" exclaimed the Spaniard, who
+seemed to be on the best of terms with the Portuguese guerrilla, a
+strange occurrence in those days. "If the worst were to come to the
+worst----"
+
+"Yes," responded the other, in a patois both could understand, "yes,
+he would command. But it would not be the same; the _Señor_ Tom is
+one man, the _Señor_ Jack another."
+
+Inside stood the faithful Andrews and Howeley, drawn stiffly to
+attention, saluting their officer. Jack's serious face brightened.
+
+"Well?" he demanded again, as if he were short of words.
+
+"Better, sir, beggin' pardon," came from Andrews, with his accustomed
+formula demanding pardon. "Surgeon's been and gone; says as Mr.
+Clifford's as hard as rocks, and if he wasn't he'd have been trampled
+and banged to pieces. Swears as he must have fust of all been blowed
+skyhigh, and then charged over by a thousand of the stormers.
+He's takin' notice of things, sir, is Mr. Clifford. Axing fer the
+regiment, and you. He'd have been out of bed if I hadn't prevented
+him--and, my word, he were a handful!"
+
+"Ah!" ejaculated Jack, a grin rising on his solemn features. "A
+handful! Tom's that all the time. Wanted to get up, eh?"
+
+"Yes, sir," grunted the rifleman, still stiffly at attention. "'Not
+you, sir,' I says; 'you're as weak as a kitten.' 'Rot!' he whispers,
+'cos he can't speak no higher. 'I've got work, Andrews.' 'So has we
+all,' I answers. 'Orders is orders, sir.' 'Eh?' he asks, sharp-like,
+as you know, sir. 'Orders that you're to stay abed, sir,' I says, not
+half-liking things. 'Orders be hanged,' he tries to shout, struggling
+to get up, and then falling back on the pillow."
+
+"Like him," smiled Jack. "Anyway he's safe now, eh?"
+
+If it were a question of our hero's security from interference,
+then there was little doubt; for beside those two sentries parading
+outside the courtyard of the house in which he lay, there were a
+dozen more at different points, with Andrews and Howeley to supervise
+them. Nor were such precautions to be wondered at when the tale of
+the last few hours was told. Tom had not only passed through the
+dangers of a siege. True, he had escaped the ordeal at the breaches,
+and had been borne still breathing into the town. But there another
+danger had suddenly assailed him; for no sooner was he laid in bed,
+and Jack had departed, than the watchful Andrews had discovered a
+sneaking form clambering in by one of the windows. Had Andrews been
+Septimus John Clifford's head clerk he would then and there have made
+a discovery of vast importance, and one which we will at once hand on
+to the reader. For this sneaking intruder, bearing a stiletto in one
+hand, was none other than José de Esteros, Tom's cousin, now sunk to
+the lowest depths of infamy, and forestalled just in the nick of time
+in the endeavour to carry out further villainy. He had made good his
+escape, and, as a result, Tom's little command now watched over their
+damaged leader.
+
+The best of food, the most careful attention on the part of the army
+surgeon, and the tenderest nursing at the hands of Andrews and others
+were already having their effect, and so, for a while, we may leave
+our hero, satisfied that he will bob up again in the future and
+encounter more adventures in this memorable campaign.
+
+Let us then step outside the walls of Badajoz, walls conquered at
+huge sacrifice by the British, and after the most gallant fighting.
+For it will already have been gathered that this Peninsula campaign
+was full of incidents, all of which the space at our disposal
+prevents our mentioning. In the circumstances it will be readily
+understood that with troops operating here and there over a wide
+stretch of country there were numerous affairs, some mere skirmishes,
+some approaching a big engagement, which, while they each and every
+one undoubtedly helped on the end at which our leaders aimed, and
+are with equal certainty recorded in official histories, yet for the
+purposes of this narrative are of small account.
+
+Beginning in 1808, as already recorded, this memorable campaign had
+at first seen a succession of commanders sent by the vacillating
+Ministry in England, and of these the great Wellington alone
+remained, having proved his right to lead our armies. Those momentous
+months since the opening of the campaign had witnessed, as the reader
+will remember, the dismissal of the French from Portugal and the
+advance of our armies into Spain. The tragedy of Sir John Moore's
+retreat over the border had followed; and we have seen Wellington
+forced backward in Portugal itself, till the enemy held the country
+right down to the formidable heights of Torres Vedras. And then had
+come the turn of the tide. The vast masses of men controlled by
+Napoleon had been sent to the rightabout, and here, in the eventful
+year 1812, we find Portugal once more swept clean of the enemy, and
+the important fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo and of Badajoz in the
+hands of the British. The tide had turned, we say, and, like the
+energetic and astute leader he was, the great Wellington at once
+proceeded to follow up these successes, and to push on into the heart
+of Spain, with the one object of forcing the enemy finally to quit
+the Peninsula.
+
+But no narrative of the events which had already happened would
+be complete without mention of a force, subtle enough and slow to
+be seen at first, which was now steadily aiding the efforts of our
+soldiers. Despite the criminal neglect of our ambassador in Madrid,
+despite, too, the wicked opposition and folly of the Spanish Junta
+in particular, and in smaller measure of the Portuguese Junta, both
+of which bodies had persistently opposed each and every aim of the
+British, our armies had fought and won. Often enough the gallant,
+thin red line had been basely left by the fleeing troops of Portugal
+and Spain to face the onslaught of Napoleon's trained battalions.
+And yet that thin red line of gallant souls had conquered. Their
+persistence, their cheerful bravery in the face of enormous odds, and
+their bull-dog, strenuous fighting had told its tale on the masses
+of the enemy. Scepticism as to their worth as soldiers, a scepticism
+natural, perhaps, to troops highly trained, and till then victorious
+in all directions, had been changed to hearty respect, if not to
+actual fear. That feeling of respect engendering fear and caution
+alone was the subtle force now aiding our armies. Each man, whether
+officer or private, had the utmost confidence in his leaders and
+in his comrades; while the French, bearing the late prowess of the
+British in mind, wondered whether success were now as certain as they
+had imagined. Who knows? The persistent advance of our armies, the
+skill of our leaders, and the bull-dog courage of our men may well
+have had their effect upon the great Napoleon himself. Accustomed
+to see his arms successful in every venture, he found in the British
+a foe who knew no defeat, and who pressed him always. For the
+Portuguese this restless Emperor may have had some respect; for the
+Spanish he had only hatred, since their determination not to accept
+his brother as their king, and their incessant rioting and attacks
+upon his soldiers had caused him trouble and anxiety. Now there were
+the British to deal with. British opposition had wrested Portugal
+from the all-conquering Emperor of France. She was now thrusting
+her way into the heart of Andalusia. That meant further strenuous
+fighting, and if past records were to be repeated, it meant further
+British victories, in spite of the mass of Napoleon's armies. Who
+knows, then, we suggest, that this fear may have weighed with the
+restless Emperor of the French, with the ambitious and avaricious
+little corporal? To be balked in his wishes was with him ever, as
+with all such men, galling in the extreme. Here, in the Peninsula,
+our coming and our intervention had resulted in tremendous efforts
+on the part of Napoleon, efforts set aside by Wellington's armies.
+And now the tide had turned. What wonder if Napoleon, realizing
+that here he was on the verge of a defeat, turned his eyes to other
+conquests? Whatever the cause, Russia now attracted the attention
+of the Emperor. He had ridden posthaste for Paris. France, groaning
+already beneath the weight of taxation necessary to maintain such
+huge armies in the field, was being bled still further, both in
+money and men, to provide another army of conquest. Troops were
+already massing on the borders of Russia, and soon was to arrive that
+calamity which will always hold a prominent place in the histories
+of the world. For Napoleon was marching to defeat. The plains of
+Russia were to see his armies swept almost out of existence, while
+the crops now ripening at the beginning of summer, a summer which
+Wellington in Spain had determined to make the greatest use of, were
+to flare up before Napoleon's troops could lay their hungry hands on
+them. Moscow, the city of promise, the magnet drawing the ambitious
+and reckless Emperor to destruction, was to burn before his eyes,
+and thereafter snow and frost and desperate hunger were to fight his
+armies silently, while Cossacks in their thousands hung like a swarm
+of flies about the flanks, slaughtering the helpless.
+
+But we are forestalling events. Napoleon had left the Peninsula for
+other and, as he imagined no doubt, easier conquests, leaving his
+generals in Spain the difficult task of driving out a British army
+which, with few exceptions, had proved itself absolutely invincible.
+
+Portugal was entirely in the hands of the British. Spain was
+beckoning strongly. Wellington, gathering his faithful and war-worn
+troops about him, was about to plunge into the heart of Andalusia,
+and, quitting the siege of fortresses, was eager to try conclusions
+with the enemy in the open. But he was ever a careful man, and as a
+preliminary to invasion and attack upon the Duke of Ragusa he planned
+the destruction of the bridge erected at Almarez, spanning the Tagus,
+and protected by forts immensely strengthened by the French. Here
+were known to be collected huge stores of ammunition, while the
+bridge itself served as a means of communication between one French
+army and another. With the crossing destroyed, Wellington might hope
+to throw himself upon the enemy with good chance of success; for by
+keeping the various forces of the enemy apart he might reasonably
+expect to beat them in detail, victory against the vast masses of
+French when combined being out of the question. Thus Almarez and the
+bridge spanning the historic Tagus now attracted his attention, as
+well as the formidable forts erected to protect the same.
+
+Let us describe in a few words the condition of the surrounding
+country. From Almarez itself to the city of Toledo the left bank of
+the River Tagus is hemmed in by a range of steep mountains. From
+Almarez again to the Portuguese frontier, roads in those days were
+almost non-existent, and the crossing in any case most difficult;
+while farther east the bridges at Arzobispo and Talavera were covered
+by the neighbouring high ground.
+
+The River Tagus itself separated the armies of Soult and of Marmont,
+and, seeing that Soult's pontoon train had been captured in Badajoz,
+there was left no other means of communication between the armies
+than the bridge of boats at Almarez, which the critical eye of
+Wellington had already selected for destruction. But, as we have
+hinted, there were difficulties in the way; for in view of the
+importance of the place, and of the mass of stores of one sort or
+another concentrated there, the French had made every preparation
+to protect the bridge. A fort had been erected on the north bank,
+another at the opposite end of the bridge, while the heights
+immediately adjacent on the latter side had been connected by a chain
+of works which a casual inspection would have said defied assault.
+Yet Wellington considered that Sir Rowland Hill, in command of a
+force 6000 strong, would contrive to overcome all difficulties, and
+that gallant officer promptly marched from the camp which the British
+had now formed, for since the fall of Badajoz our forces had marched
+north to the Tagus, and had crossed the river. A small expeditionary
+arm was therefore within striking distance of the all-important
+crossing at Almarez. Secrecy, as in the case of the descents on
+Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz, was essential in this adventure, and
+Sir Rowland, therefore, marched at night-time, secreting his whole
+force in the wood of Jarciejo during the day, this wood being in
+the immediate neighbourhood of the enemy. Then his men were divided
+into three columns, and in the early hours, while darkness yet hid
+the land, they set out upon an expedition destined to prove amongst
+the most brilliant of any recorded during this long campaign in the
+Peninsula. For the plans of generals, like those of other more
+humble individuals perhaps, are destined at times to be overthrown,
+and here was an example. That secrecy at which Sir Rowland Hill
+aimed was destroyed by a combination of circumstances, so that the
+garrisons of the forts about to be attacked became aware of his
+intentions. Yet the work was done, and done brilliantly, though only
+at a heavy sacrifice. The forts were taken, the bridge secured, while
+the losses of the enemy were very heavy. Then, expedition being an
+essential point, mines were laid, and the works, or a portion of
+them, destroyed. When Sir Rowland returned to Wellington's camp he
+was able to report the success of the expedition, while Wellington
+himself was now able seriously to consider the question of an attack
+upon the enemy in the open; for the first step toward that effort
+had been taken. Easy communication between the enemy was destroyed,
+and now had come the opportunity to seek out and beat in detail the
+armies of Napoleon.
+
+Forward, then, was the order, and 21st July, 1812, found Wellington
+and his army north of the Tagus, close to Salamanca and to the
+Rivers Tormes and Huebra, having meanwhile cleared the intervening
+country and besieged the Salamanca forts. Marmont, with his French
+battalions, now lay before him; for they had crossed the river
+between Huerta and Tormes, and were endeavouring to secure the road
+to Ciudad Rodrigo. However, if Wellington, as a clever tactician, as
+he undoubtedly was, had as his object the division of the enemy's
+forces, with a view of beating them in detail, Marmont also was not
+unskilful. Remembering the comparative paucity of the British troops,
+and the fact that they had, as it were, burned their boats behind
+them, he hoped to throw his troops between our regiments and the
+fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo, then garrisoned by British, thus not only
+cutting communication between Wellington and the fortress, but also
+drawing a line of fire and steel between the British and Portugal, to
+which country they would naturally retreat in case of defeat or in
+the event of huge odds being concentrated against them.
+
+Thus, having brought our gallant fellows face to face with an equally
+gallant enemy in the open, and having reviewed the movements of
+this difficult and complex campaign, we can leave the two rival
+armies in position for battle, and can once more seek out Tom
+Clifford, commander of the composite force of Portuguese and Spanish
+guerrillas, which, amidst a host of irregular British allies--some
+good, some indifferent, and some altogether useless and even
+dangerous--had already earned a name for energy and a patriotic
+spirit worthy of emulation amongst many chicken-hearted countrymen.
+Back, then, to Badajoz, let us retrace our steps, and, accepting
+the salutes of the Spanish and Portuguese sentries--smart fellows
+both--hammer on the door of the courtyard and enter, there to be
+greeted by the faithful Howeley and Andrews.
+
+Some weeks had passed since Tom had joined the forlorn hope, and had
+been blown like a stone down the steep scarp of the breach effected
+by our gunners. He sat in an armchair, his feet on a stool, Jack
+Barwood discussing matters with him, and at the same time smoking a
+pipe which he had secured in the dwelling.
+
+"Of course," Tom was saying in his business-like way, "orders are
+orders. But----"
+
+"They're a beastly nuisance for all that. Granted," was Jack's
+interruption. "Well?"
+
+"And, equally of course, must be obeyed. 'Pon my word, Jack, you
+seem to be as keen as I am on this quest. What's it to do with you,
+anyway?"
+
+"Nothing; everything." Jack took a heavy pull at his pipe, choked
+suddenly, and then glared at the pipe as if it had done him a
+mischief.
+
+"Awful country," he grumbled. "Decent food ungetable, decent beds
+unknown. Tobacco--ugh! it'd sicken a Billingsgate porter! But this
+business interests me. Why? you ask. Here's why. Fair play is a thing
+I like; foul play gets up my dander. Of course I know the whole story
+now. This cousin chap first took food and lodging from your father
+and pretended gratitude; then he managed to work things so as to have
+you impressed. There I owe him a grudge; for if he hadn't, where
+should I be, eh?"
+
+"Eh?" repeated Tom, a little puzzled.
+
+"That's just it," went on the ensign in an aggrieved tone of voice.
+"Who'd have had the command of those French troopers? Who'd have
+brought them through that mess? Who'd now be promoted to the command
+of a regiment of guerrillas?"
+
+He might have been the most injured of individuals, to look at him.
+Jack rose to his feet and bashed the offending pipe heavily on a
+table. And then he grinned at Tom.
+
+"My uncle!" he exclaimed; "you are a flat! Yes, even if you are my
+superior, I can call you that. Took everything I said as if it were
+meant seriously. Where should I have been, eh? Dead, Tom--dead as a
+bullock. Shot outside that Portuguese church, and cut to mincemeat by
+those rascals. But this business of yours interests me solely because
+you happen to be a pal of mine, and in my opinion very much injured.
+This José is a scoundrel. What's more, I believe him to be at the
+bottom of all these troubles. He's that spy, sir, I declare! He's
+the very same scoundrel who crept in here with the idea of doing you
+a mortal mischief. There, think it out, and don't wonder if I am a
+little interested in this curious and blackguardly mystery."
+
+Could this really be the case? Was José de Esteros not only the
+rascal who had caused Tom's impressment, as we know, and Tom and his
+friends now knew, to be the case; but also, was he the treacherous
+ruffian who had been feeding the enemy with news of Wellington's
+movements, whose messenger our hero had displaced outside Ciudad
+Rodrigo? Could Tom's cousin be the selfsame villain who had abducted
+his father and uncle, and who later on had endeavoured to creep into
+this house in Badajoz and murder the gallant officer so nearly killed
+in the storming?
+
+"Humbug!" Tom declared, nursing the arm which he had worn in a sling
+since receiving his injuries. "I grant that José was the cause of my
+impressment. There I owe him a grudge, Jack."
+
+"Eh?" asked the adjutant, stoking his pipe with a finger and pulling
+at it vainly. "How?"
+
+"Been troubled with a certain Jack Barwood ever since," came the
+serious answer. And then Tom went off into roars of laughter, while
+Jack pretended indignation.
+
+"Granted that José was the cause of that portion," Tom continued. "We
+know he came to Oporto; there we lose sight of him. The spy comes on
+the scene. Granted here, again, that he it was who abducted my father
+and uncle, for the note left was in the same handwriting as that
+other we secured outside Ciudad Rodrigo; but that doesn't say that
+José was the spy, even if you argue that he has reasons for wishing
+to abduct my two relatives. Now, does it?"
+
+"But the handwriting? It's like his; you forget that."
+
+"I don't; I agree that, from what I can remember of it, there is a
+similarity. But I'm not by any means sure; besides, José couldn't be
+such a rascal."
+
+Jack's reply was as emphatic as many others. "Stuff and nonsense!"
+he blurted out. "A man who tries to get rid of a cousin with whom he
+has lived all his life, as this fellow did, will take on any piece of
+rascality. Look at his actions on arrival at Oporto, and think of his
+cunning. My boy, this José's at the bottom of the whole matter, so
+keep your eye open."
+
+How Tom was to keep his eye open his adjutant failed to explain, nor
+was there any further evidence to convict José of this added piece
+of rascality. Tom was still in ignorance of the personality of the
+spy whom he had traced to Oporto, and thence to Badajoz. He knew that
+the man was responsible for the abduction of Septimus and Don Juan de
+Esteros. But was José the spy? Was the spy the man who had crept into
+these quarters in Badajoz with the obvious intention of slaying Tom,
+and, if so, what was his object?
+
+"It's José all the time," declared Jack, cocksure of the fact.
+
+"Doubtful," repeated Tom, still refusing to believe his cousin
+capable of such villainy. "But leave it at that. The fellow's gone,
+and taken with him his two captives; the next thing to do is to
+follow."
+
+"Wrong; the next move is to obey orders."
+
+Jack had become a very useful adjutant by now, and showed his
+promptness by handing Tom the orders which lay upon the table. Our
+hero almost ground his teeth as he read them; for there, in black
+and white, were definite commands for the regiment to march for the
+Tagus, and there join hands with Wellington's army. Never, in fact,
+had orders been worse received. Hitherto Tom had been the first to
+welcome them; now they came between him and private business.
+
+"But duty first," he told himself. "We'll march before the week's
+out, for those are the instructions. Meanwhile we've at least heard
+something. Read the report again," he said, signing to his friend.
+
+Jack picked up a paper, and promptly obliged him. "Here we are,"
+he said. "Alfonso reports that following orders he has continued
+to patrol the surroundings of the fortress. A covered carriage was
+driven out just before dusk last evening. It was stopped and found to
+be empty. The driver stated he was going to a country place to fetch
+in an invalid. Later, when the carriage was well beyond our circle,
+it stopped beside a convoy of carts going from the fortress. Sharp
+questioning of the man in charge brought the admission that men were
+hidden among the contents of the carts, two of whom were bound and
+gagged. They were placed in the carriage, which was instantly driven
+away down the road, and when our men arrived was out of hearing.
+Though they searched, it was in vain. The scoundrel had got away with
+his captives."
+
+"And then?" asked Tom, listening without sign of emotion.
+
+"Close enquiries here discovered the fact that a carriage had been
+hired to take a gentleman to Madrid. That's all."
+
+That indeed was all the information that our hero or his friends had
+been able to come by. The strenuous efforts and the danger which Tom
+had incurred in endeavouring to make an early entry into Badajoz had
+resulted in nothing. The miscreant who gave information to the enemy
+had slipped out with his captives, and there were our heroes none the
+nearer to success. They were farther off, in fact, for there, on the
+table, were orders taking them north to the Tagus, while it seemed
+likely enough that Tom's father and uncle had been hurried east to
+Madrid, where search for them, if ever the opportunity came, would be
+long and difficult.
+
+"Can't be helped. When orders allow, we'll make a rush for the city,"
+said Tom. "Meanwhile, it's off to the Tagus!"
+
+"To join the army again--hooray!" shouted Jack. "That means a big
+general engagement; it means fighting, my boy! Perhaps it'll give us
+both promotion."
+
+Hard knocks, wounds, and exposure were more likely to be their
+portion. But what did these two young officers care? What would other
+officers of a similar age in these days care? Nothing. Rather they
+were elated at the prospect of taking a share in a pitched battle,
+and had not so much as a qualm when at length they reached the
+neighbourhood of Salamanca. As for their men, confident now of their
+ability to fight, proud of what they had already done, they marched
+to their allotted quarters in the camp with a tramp and a swing that
+commanded attention.
+
+"General Lord Wellington's compliments," began a staff officer,
+galloping up just as Tom had inspected his men, and had called upon
+Jack to dismiss the parade. "Are you Lieutenant Clifford?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Then have the goodness to ride over to headquarters at once; his
+lordship desires to see you."
+
+"Hooray!" cried Jack, careless of decorum, hurrying up at the moment.
+"That'll mean business, my boy. The general's got a special job for
+our guerrillas."
+
+And Wellington had. When Tom had been ushered into the tent which
+housed the leader of the British army he found that painstaking
+individual seated on a camp stool carefully measuring distances on a
+map stretched on a table before him. Tom stood stiffly at attention,
+and though the staff officer who ushered him twice called his name,
+there was no answer. Then suddenly a point of the compasses was
+struck into the map and an exclamation escaped the general.
+
+"If he moves there, we have him," he cried. "Then all depends on the
+Spaniards. Ah!" He shut the map hurriedly, and looked at Tom as if
+he thought him to be a suspicious person. Then, recognizing him, he
+smiled.
+
+"The officer the French will not fight," he said cheerfully. "The
+Englishman they did their best to destroy in the breaches at Badajoz.
+You are recovered, sir?"
+
+"Perfectly," Tom hastened to assure him, fearful that a fancied
+weakness might cause the general to choose another officer for any
+special work he might have in prospect.
+
+"And will accept a special risk?"
+
+Tom drew himself up stiffly. With anyone else there would have been
+a note of injury in the answer; for had he shirked special risk in
+the past? Ciudad Rodrigo was a telling answer to such a question. And
+Wellington realized the fact as soon as he had spoken.
+
+"I take it for granted that you are more than ready," he said. "Good!
+Then the mission I have is somewhat similar to that other. You saw
+me close this plan hurriedly? I did it unknowingly, impelled by the
+fear that you might be a stranger; for here is my story. Maps and
+plans jealously guarded by us have disappeared, my dispatch case
+has been broken open. My officers have information that there is a
+small gang of rascals who trade on our secrets. I want to bring that
+gang to book, if it exists. Now, Mr. Clifford, once more I make no
+suggestions, and give no orders. You will act as you think best.
+After to-morrow you are free to carry out whatever seems best to you.
+Remember, after to-morrow."
+
+That was all. Tom found himself outside the tent, still saluting.
+
+"A pretty job to unravel," he told himself. "And what's on to-morrow?"
+
+Yes, what was to happen when the day broke once more across the
+smooth surface of the River Tormes?
+
+There was to be war, real war, war in the open, the like of which Tom
+had never before witnessed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+The Battle of Salamanca
+
+
+The gentle tinkle of convent bells, the lowing of distant oxen,
+and the cheery whistling and singing of the men of Wellington's
+1st Division awakened Tom on the morrow of his arrival in the
+neighbourhood of Salamanca. He shook off his blanket and rose,
+stretching himself, then inhaled the balmy summer air, and enjoyed
+the hazy view over the heights of the Arapiles, a precipitous part
+adjacent to the city, and split into two portions, known as the
+Sister Arapiles.
+
+A thousand bivouac fires were smoking, a thousand and more busy cooks
+struggled to prepare the rations for the day, while soldiers came and
+went carrying ammunition, food, fodder, and water, or leading long,
+roped lines of horses up from the river.
+
+What a bustle there was about the camp, what order and method, and
+what cheerfulness. A band was playing over by the headquarters tent,
+above which flew General Lord Wellington's flag. A battery of guns
+went trundling by, the men in their shirt sleeves, for they were
+merely taking up another position, and the business of the day had
+not begun.
+
+And yonder were the enemy, some 42,000 strong, with 74 guns, with
+cavalry and every branch which goes to the completion of an army.
+Already these thousands were astir; the French bivouac fires had
+been stamped out, and the morning meal eaten. There came the blare
+of trumpets across the breeze, drowning the peaceful tinkle of the
+convent bells and the pleasant lowing of cattle. Drums rattled away
+in the far distance, while dust began to rise over road and plain,
+as the battalions of the enemy marched hither and thither to take
+up their posts for the coming conflict. For a battle was imminent.
+Wellington with much patience and forethought had prepared the way
+for it. He had cleared Portugal of the foreign invader. He had
+captured Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz, but at what cost and suffering!
+That last manoeuvre had wrecked the bridge at Almarez, and had
+destroyed the huge stores collected there by the enemy. But now he
+was face to face with one of their armies, Marmont's, the Duke of
+Ragusa, and was eager to try his strength with them, while they, to
+do them justice, were just as ready.
+
+"Mr. Clifford, commanding the composite regiment of Portuguese and
+Spanish irregulars?"
+
+The staff officer reined in his mount at Tom's feet and saluted.
+
+"Here, sir."
+
+"You will see that your men draw rations, and take their water
+bottles filled, also ammunition; then march for General Pack's
+brigade and report to him. They are over there; you can see the dark
+uniforms."
+
+He galloped away without waiting for Tom to reply, and they saw him
+racing across to headquarters. Other aides-de-camp were cantering
+from that same place, and in a little while bugles and drums were
+sounding amidst the British lines, while men were falling in by
+regiments.
+
+"Parade present and correct, sir," reported Jack, riding up as Tom
+clambered into his saddle.
+
+"Keep them as they are then, Mr. Barwood," came Tom's most polite
+answer; for on duty there was no joking between these two young
+officers. "I'll say a few words to them first, before we move off.
+We've to join General Pack's Portuguese brigade, so our fellows will
+be fighting alongside their countrymen to-day."
+
+"Yes, sir; and they'll show 'em the way."
+
+"And cover themselves with credit. They look well," reflected Tom,
+as the two rode on to the ground in front of their little corps, and
+drew rein some few paces from them. "Smart; no doubt about it. Don't
+see a sign of funking."
+
+"No, sir. Shall I call up the other officer and our non-coms?"
+
+"Please, and quickly with it."
+
+Alfonso halted before our hero, his face brimming over with
+enthusiasm. He saluted, and waited. Then came Andrews and Howeley,
+both old soldiers; for there was none of your short service then.
+The men of the British army, whether recruits or old stagers, filled
+their breeches and jackets, and gave good measure round calf and
+thigh and chest. The two riflemen were fine specimens of the 60th,
+and, being detached from their corps, seemed to hold themselves all
+the better, as if to let all and sundry see what a rifle regiment
+could do for its members.
+
+"We join Pack's brigade," explained Tom. "They're posted about the
+centre and are likely to be in the thick of it. I want you all to
+remember that this corps must set an example. We must hold the men
+together. If others of the irregulars bolt before the enemy, we won't
+have the same said of our fellows. Now, men," he called out. "A word
+before we march. There's the enemy before you, yonder is General
+Pack's brigade of Portuguese. We go to join them; let every man
+remember how this corps has behaved in the past. Hold firmly together
+and keep your wits about you. Your courage I know you will hold, for
+that you have proved already. For the rest, keep your eyes on your
+officers, and recollect that when the press comes, if come it does,
+you are fighting for home and country."
+
+A British regiment would have cheered the strangely youthful-looking
+staff officer. The mixed guerrillas from the hilltops of Spain and
+Portugal stared at him hard. There was a set expression on every
+bronzed face, a hard gripping of muskets, and a swinging of all eyes
+over to the enemy. And then came the word to march. They stepped out
+briskly. Heads erect, muskets at the trail, their commander leading
+them, the little corps advanced to take its part for the first time
+in a general action. Nor did its smartness pass unobserved.
+
+"What corps is that?" demanded the great Wellington, ever observant,
+his eyes in all directions. "All dressed in blue, I think, and--yes,
+some wearing the red cockade of Spain. What corps, please?"
+
+"Mr. Clifford's, sir; recruited on the borders, and composed of 300
+Portuguese and as many Spanish hillmen. The only corps where the two
+nationalities have worked in friendship with one another. They were
+in that Ciudad Rodrigo affair, sir; also down at Badajoz."
+
+The spyglass flew to the general's eye, and for a while he watched
+the corps striding along. Then he eyed the young commander.
+
+"Good!" he exclaimed, thinking aloud. "They march like veterans.
+Their officer conducts himself like a tried general. There's no hurry
+about him, but slap-dash-up smartness. If they fight as they march
+we've something to boast of. And with such an officer my little
+mission is likely to receive attention."
+
+He shut the glass with a bang and went cantering off towards the
+heights of the Sister Arapiles, a brilliant staff trailing out behind
+him. As for Tom, he held on his way without swerving. Now passing
+between halted regiments, now halting his own command to allow of
+the passage of a battery or more of guns, which went by at a trot,
+obliterating all about them in the clouds of dust tossed up by the
+wheels and the hoofs of the horses. Meanwhile the sun flashed in the
+distance from a forest of French bayonets, manoeuvring for position,
+marching this way or that, while a little later a battery took post
+away on the shoulder of one of the sister heights, smoke billowed
+from unseen muzzles, while shot tore through the summer air, and came
+bounding and ricochetting towards them.
+
+"Report, sir; General Wellington's orders," said Tom, halting his
+little corps to the front of Pack's brigade and reporting to that
+officer.
+
+"Ah! Reinforcements or reserve!" came the answer, while the gallant
+general smiled a welcome. "Smart men yours, sir. Name, may I ask,
+please?"
+
+"Clifford, sir, General Lord Wellington's staff, seconded for service
+with irregulars."
+
+And then the smile on the general's face broadened. He gripped Tom's
+hand warmly. "Ah! The twins, I know," he cried gaily. "The officer
+the French refuse to fight, eh?"
+
+Tom, with heightened colour, was forced to confess that it was so.
+Then he cast his eyes along the sitting lines of the Portuguese
+brigade, garbed in its blue, and wondered how these rough levies
+would conduct themselves. A moment later he was sitting erect to
+receive his orders.
+
+"March your command to our left, and fall in rear, to act as a
+reserve with the companies already detailed for that service. Smart
+men, Mr. Clifford, a smart lot of fellows!"
+
+There were thousands of others in Pack's brigade who repeated that
+opinion; for, seeing that Tom's men were standing while the remainder
+of the brigade were sitting, they were the observed of all observers.
+
+"Halt! Dress on the right--smartly does it," came from Tom.
+
+"Smartly does it!" Jack roared in the stentorian voice becoming to
+an adjutant, and--we must confess it--with an accent which brought a
+whimsical smile to General Pack's face.
+
+"Lively with it, boys!" shouted Howeley and Andrews together, using a
+language half English, a little Portuguese, and the rest nothing in
+particular. "Lively does it! Dress up there on the left. 'Shun! Stand
+at ease! Back there that swab away on the left."
+
+Rigidly erect, the toes of their English-made boots forming a line
+which would have drawn a note of approval even from the lips of a
+liverish martinet, Tom's men stood at attention, muskets at the
+shoulder, bayonets already fixed. And then, with a clatter, they sat
+down, having piled their weapons.
+
+"Two hours since we left camp; perhaps we'd better give 'em some
+grub," suggested Jack, peeping into his own haversack. For whatever
+may have been the duties of this ensign, he was still just the
+overgrown boy, always hungry, always ready for a meal.
+
+"Always growing, that's the reason," he had often explained. "Must
+have something at hand to build up an increasing framework."
+
+How those two hours had changed the July morning! The sun swam
+redly overhead, approaching the vertical position; a few fine
+clouds flecked the sky; while the heights, the distant cork forest
+sheltering the French battalions, still looked peaceful enough. But
+there was the roar of guns in many directions. Away behind Pack's
+brigade, posted on an eminence, and sheltered by the straggling
+buildings of a farm, was a British battery, busily pumping shot over
+the heads of the sitting brigade at an enemy then invisible to Tom
+and his comrades. The answering shot likewise shrieked above the
+brigade, and more than once Jack pointed, while men scrambled to
+their feet and looked about them as if terrified.
+
+"Don't look well for later on," he jerked out crisply. "But you never
+know. Anyway, the bulk of them are taking matters coolly."
+
+No wonder the peace of the land about Salamanca was disturbed; for
+to match the masses of the enemy Wellington had collected some
+40,000 men, including 3500 cavalry and 54 guns. These he had on
+this eventful day beneath his eye, cut up into divisions, and so
+placed that he could move his forces rapidly. His right rested on
+the foothills of the Sister Arapiles, as yet unoccupied by our men,
+but at that moment being scaled by the French legions. His left
+extended to the River Tormes, while he himself passed this way and
+that, eagerly watching the movements of the enemy. Marmont was even
+more busy than Wellington, and there is little doubt but that he
+hoped by this general action to smash the power of the commander who
+was now such a thorn in his side, and to cut him off from Portugal
+completely. His right manoeuvred persistently for the road to Ciudad
+Rodrigo, while his left marched on the Arapiles, and now occupied one
+of the heights. For the rest, his centre was masked by a cork wood,
+through the gaps in which came the reflections from the flashing
+bayonets of his battalions.
+
+A burst of firing echoed across the plain from the village of
+Arapiles, now occupied by our infantry. Flying figures were seen
+struggling down the heights and forming up at their base. Shot
+plunged over the heads of Pack's sitting brigade and smote those
+descending ranks. And then came the rattle of drums, the cheers of
+frantic men, a red flash as muskets were exploded, followed by the
+pitter-pat of independent firing. Crash! Bang! Those guns behind the
+farm pounded the advancing French, ploughing the ground about them.
+The cheers broke out even louder, and were drowned by a torrent of
+musketry which flashed round the post held by British infantry.
+
+The same scene, diversified a little, was happening away on our
+left, where our battalions manoeuvred against Marmont's, holding
+them back from that all-important road. Elsewhere, when not actively
+engaged, or making some countering move, troops sat down in their
+formation, men nibbled at their rations, while a squadron of horse
+slowly cantered across a dusty part, into which the enemy's cannon
+ball plumped in quick succession. Tom found himself actually feeling
+drowsy, Jack Barwood looked as if he could willingly drop off to
+sleep, while some of the regiment were stretched full length, their
+eyes tight closed, not even bothering to open them when there came a
+clatter near at hand and a ball trundled and roared past them.
+
+Down below those heights, to which we have referred so often, sat
+Wellington, wearied with long watching and counter manoeuvring,
+dismounted now, his spyglass in his pocket, and himself seated at a
+midday meal, which he needed as much perhaps as any of his soldiers.
+For the moment he could do no more. He was merely watching and
+waiting. Thus he and his staff snatched a hasty meal, wondering what
+the result of the day was to be for them. Then came electrifying
+news--Marmont was extending his left. He was pushing his divisions
+up into the Arapiles, leaving his centre denuded, while right and
+left wings of his army were steadily getting farther and farther
+from one another. It was the moment for which Wellington had been
+waiting; it was the moment of all others in which to strike. That
+critical stage in the coming contest had arrived where one leader,
+in this case Marmont, attempts too great a task; while his opponent,
+watching him like a cat, sees the error, realizes the opportunity,
+and sends his men headlong to make the most of it. There, in fact,
+as Wellington looked through his spyglass, were the divisions forming
+the French left separated from their centre; while, in addition to
+this attempted enveloping movement, Marmont was still manoeuvring
+his right, so as to close the road to Ciudad Rodrigo. Here, in fact,
+if we look closely into the circumstances, was an example of divided
+force, that for which Wellington was ever seeking. His acuteness,
+and the strenuous fighting of his men, had separated Marmont from
+other French armies. Now Marmont's own dispositions had separated his
+left wing from its centre and right, and at this precise moment the
+opportunity had come to beat his army in detail.
+
+Pakenham's 3rd Division was seated about our general. He had been
+lunching with its officers, Pakenham being his own brother-in-law.
+Instantly he gave this gallant leader orders, and at once the men of
+the 3rd Division were on their feet. Forward they charged against the
+left wing on the slope of the Sister Arapiles. Batteries thundered
+against them; muskets sent a stinging hail of bullets against the
+face of the charging division; while cavalry emerged from a fold in
+the ground and charged madly for the advancing British. But none
+could stay that gallant division. The men swept cavalry aside. They
+laughed at bullets and cannon shot. Leaving a thick trail of killed
+and wounded, they pressed the charge home, came to handgrips with the
+enemy, and then attacked them with the bayonet.
+
+"Let them loose!" cried Pakenham; and at the command the Connaught
+Rangers, ever a fine fighting corps, was sent into the midst of the
+thick masses of Marmont's left wing.
+
+"Magnificent but dreadful!" cried Tom, a witness from the plain
+of the whole scene. "Look; our fellows are crumpling the enemy's
+left wing up! Our colours are right alongside theirs, with the men
+fighting all round. It's a grand movement!"
+
+"The Portuguese brigade will fall in!"
+
+The command rang out over that portion of the ground where Tom and
+his men were stationed, and at once the men were on their feet.
+
+"Dress up there on the right. Back in the centre. Nicely does it,
+men! Ready and correct, sir."
+
+Jack Barwood, a grin of excitement on his face, rode up to Tom and
+reported the composite regiment to be ready.
+
+"March!"
+
+The brigade was in motion. Extending by battalions to left and right,
+its face was soon far wider than it had been. Pack led them direct to
+that Arapile height still held by Marmont, and known as Hermanito.
+Guns blazed and thundered at the Portuguese. Shot plunged through the
+ranks, sweeping men by half-dozens out of existence. Musket bullets
+began to sizzle and whip about the ears of the brigade, and fell even
+amongst the reserve marching some four hundred yards in rear. Tom's
+men began to fall by the way. Was there a sign of flinching?
+
+"Good plucked 'uns, to the backbone," muttered Jack, at Tom's side
+now, his face eager and tense. "Our boys will do well, sir. What are
+the orders?"
+
+An aide-de-camp had just galloped round, and had shouted instructions
+to our hero.
+
+"We're to charge up behind the men and support any part where the
+enemy are pressing," he said shortly. "I'm going to move off to the
+side a little; as we are we get all the shots and balls which miss
+the brigade in advance, and that isn't business. To the left there
+are folds in the ground which will give us shelter. Look away up
+there at Pakenham's 3rd Division."
+
+The struggle was still progressing there, though the enemy's guns had
+ceased to thunder. Our scarlet-clad men could be seen mustering here
+and there, and, though Tom could not himself know what was happening,
+that mustering told its own tale. For Marmont's left wing, so
+recklessly moved away from the support of its centre and right, was
+conquered. Three thousand of the enemy were already prisoners, with
+two much-coveted eagles and eleven cannon. The rest were scattered,
+some still contesting the ground, while the remainder had taken to
+their heels. Indeed, all eyes were now on Pack's brigade.
+
+"Charge! Up the hill and at them!"
+
+The command rang out in Portuguese, and at once the irregulars
+stormed the height, their muskets at the trail, their bayonets
+already fixed. Ah, they were close to the summit! Breathless with
+the climb, but eager for the conflict, they cheered as they gained
+the height. Then there came the roar and crackle of musketry. Twelve
+hundred French infantry emptied their muskets into the charging
+host and came at them with fixed bayonets--fresh men against men
+blown after a stiff climb. There was the crash and clank of crossing
+weapons, and, later, cries of terror. Dismayed by the enemy's charge,
+straggling as is the case with infantry after a stiff climb, the
+Portuguese in engagement with Marmont's men turned tail and fled down
+the hill, exposing the 4th Division on its flank to the attack of the
+enemy. Instantly French regiments poured up, guns crashed out, while
+a hail of musketry was sent against that division by the ranks of the
+French.
+
+"Double!" commanded Tom, emerging with his men a few moments earlier
+from a convenient and merciful fold in the ground, and realizing
+instantly what had happened. "Double up there and cover the flank of
+the 4th Division. Now, halt!"
+
+It took ten minutes perhaps to get into position, and all the while
+the enemy were advancing at a run to take the 4th Division in flank.
+But Tom's men were there before them, and, at his shrill whistles, at
+once broke up into squares of double companies, one Portuguese and
+one Spanish being now associated together in all manoeuvres.
+
+"Wait for the word to fire!" bellowed Tom, while Jack, and Alfonso,
+and Andrews, and Howeley repeated the order in stentorian tones.
+"Fire by squares! Be ready to charge!"
+
+Pandemonium reigned about them. A mass of cavalry swung of a sudden
+round the shoulder of the hill, and, skirting the French battalions,
+launched itself against Tom's devoted squares. Crash! Bang! A blaze
+of flame swept in their faces. Horses reared and fell with their
+riders. A thousand desperate troopers galloped at the squares,
+slashing and cutting. Crash! Bang! The muskets flashed redly; the
+bullets tore through the scattered ranks of the cavalry.
+
+"Load! Stand ready there. Ah! Reserves are coming up. That must be
+the 5th Division. Men of the composite regiment, stand firm and you
+will have saved the position here. Ready? Then forward."
+
+The three squares advanced steadily against the advancing French.
+Men fell here and there, but their places were instantly filled. The
+faces of the squares, presenting in this case but a narrowed angle
+to the enemy, swirled with fire and flame. Smoke hid the men from
+all observers, while a thunderous discharge came from their weapons.
+Then there followed the clink of ramrods. Bullets were driven home
+on powder and wads, primings were renewed, while flints were drawn
+back. Then again was repeated the same thunder of muskets, the same
+red flaming flash, the same vomiting of sulphurous vapour. A minute
+later the 5th Division came panting up, and at once the enemy were
+pressed back. Steadily the advance was maintained, and presently the
+enemy were fleeing.
+
+"Form line!" bellowed Tom, standing in his stirrups and waving his
+sword, all oblivious of the fact that a musket bullet had shattered
+the blade, leaving him with but six inches of steel clinging to the
+hilt. "Line up with the 4th Division. Forward!"
+
+"Forward!" shrieked Jack in his terrible Portuguese.
+
+"Now's the time, me boys!" shouted Andrews, ever encouraging the men.
+
+On went the scarlet lines of British, with the thin blue line of
+Tom's irregulars wedged in between. Wellington himself came cantering
+up, for now had come the very crisis of the battle. The 6th Division
+doubled to the front with cheers of eagerness, while, away on the
+left of our line, troops until then hardly under fire went to the
+front.
+
+Slowly at first, and then more swiftly, the enemy's regiments
+were crumpled up. Marmont had by now been severely wounded, while
+successive generals had been placed _hors de combat_. Muddled by
+counter orders, therefore, and no doubt scared by the dash of our
+battalions, the enemy retired all along the line, and was soon in
+retreat, protected by strong rearguards and followed persistently
+over miles of country by our men.
+
+It would be impossible to detail every single combat which followed.
+Gallant regiments on the side of the French stood fast, holding their
+ground while their comrades retired to safety. But as night fell all
+were in retirement, and here again were the plans of Lord Wellington
+upset by the very people who should have done their utmost to support
+him. For Marmont's army of the north was beaten. Capture of the
+survivors of this day's memorable fight would mean a French disaster,
+and to bring that about Wellington had long ago sent his Spanish
+irregulars to guard the fords across the River Tormes. Can we wonder
+that that at Alba was deserted by the cowardly Spanish as the French
+came near? And thereby a decisive defeat was lessened. By the next
+day, in fact, the French were across the river.
+
+But Salamanca was won. The northern frontier of Portugal was freed of
+the enemy, and now, when we advanced into Spain still farther, we had
+this to content us--there were none of the enemy in rear to cut our
+communications or to stampede our rearguards. They were to our front,
+and no Britisher fears an enemy whom he can see plainly.
+
+But there were still rascals and traitors to be dealt with, as
+Tom was yet to learn. Not that he gave a thought to them. For on
+the evening of the battle, receiving an order from a galloping
+aide-de-camp, he halted his men and set them down for a breather.
+Then the sound of clattering hoofs came to his ears, and there rode
+out of the gathering gloom Lord Wellington himself, with a brilliant
+staff about him. He drew rein within ten feet of the corps, now
+dishevelled and lessened sadly in numbers, but erect as ever, and
+dressed with that precision for which they had become notorious.
+
+"What corps?" asked Wellington, though he needed no information.
+
+"Lieutenant Clifford's, sir. Composite corps; half-Portuguese and
+half-Spanish."
+
+Tom's heart thudded as the general set his horse three paces forward.
+
+"Ah," he heard him say, "I felt sure it was they! Mr. Clifford."
+
+"Sir," answered Tom, lowering the hilt of his broken sword.
+
+"Mr. Barwood and the other officers, commissioned and
+non-commissioned," cried the general softly, causing all those
+individuals to come to the front.
+
+"Gentlemen," said Wellington, his tones not raised in the slightest,
+as if he were discussing a matter of little interest, and yet
+conveying by a subtle inflection of his voice that it was no ordinary
+matter, "from the plain below we saw Pack's Portuguese turn tail and
+bolt. We saw the 4th Division heavily assailed. And then this corps
+was thrust into the gap. It was a brilliantly-conceived movement, and
+it helped to save a situation which was critical. The forming of the
+corps into squares was beyond all criticism. Mr. Clifford, you will
+be good enough to give my personal commendations to your men, whose
+bravery is a pattern for all their fellows. Inform them that I hold
+them in great respect, and that since the respect of a commander
+is shown through his officers, who have done so well again, those
+officers' names will be sent to England in my dispatches. March your
+men back to their camp, please."
+
+Did the men of Tom's corps cheer? They shouted themselves hoarse
+after our hero had spoken to them. They trudged across the field
+strewn with killed and wounded with merry songs, and turned into
+their blankets when all was over as proud as any in Spain or Portugal.
+
+As for Tom, he was too fatigued to even think. Once his wounded were
+collected and his dead buried, a gruesome job for any commander, he
+dropped dead asleep in his blanket. He recked not of the work before
+him. His slumbering mind cared not a jot for the dangers of the task
+which his commander had given him. If there had been fifty spies to
+capture, if there had been fifty mysteries hanging about the persons
+of the rascal José and Tom's two relatives abducted from Oporto,
+that young fellow would still have slept. For he had fought his
+first big engagement. He had done strenuous work, and nature called
+aloud for repose for both body and brain before he took up other
+responsibilities. Till the morrow, then, we leave him till the rising
+sun awaked in his thoughts the memory of those urgent orders.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+A Clue at Last
+
+
+Those 40,000 victorious men of Wellington's great army now had their
+backs to the Portuguese frontier and were marching gaily on Madrid.
+Away in front a half-battalion of infantry watched for the French
+and found no trace of them. The guard in rear had an easy time of
+it, for attack was not to be feared from that quarter; while the
+cavalry patrols on either flank reported a country clear of all but
+peasants. As for the road itself, it was littered with carts of
+every description, not the motor lorries which to-day have achieved
+a triumph, making light of the task of hauling the stores and
+impedimenta of an army, but with mule carts in endless array, and
+four-wheeled and two-wheeled vehicles with their teams of mules and
+their gaudily-hatted drivers.
+
+"Of all the aggravating, lazy beggars these are the worst I ever set
+eyes on," growled Jack Barwood, in command now of Tom's composite
+corps of Portuguese and Spanish; for that young fellow himself,
+together with Alfonso his cousin, had departed on special service.
+And didn't the great Jack give himself airs! Riding at the head
+of the corps he looked about him as does a conqueror. And these
+muleteers came in for his displeasure.
+
+"Straggling all over the road as usual. How's one to pass here?" he
+demanded of Andrews, who was marching beside him, and pointing to a
+batch of vehicles wedged in a rocky part of the road where a detour
+was almost impossible.
+
+"Move 'em, sir," came the answer, while the rifleman suppressed
+a grin of amusement. Jack was a favourite with them all, but he
+sometimes excited their ridicule. He was different from the steady
+and yet dashing Tom.
+
+"Move 'em, sir, or interview one of these blackguards conducting
+the caravan. Look at the beggar nearest; stares at us as if we
+hadn't a right on the road, when we all know we're here to fight the
+Spaniards' own battles. Precious fine help they give us too! The only
+time they're out of the way is when fightin's wanted. Hi, you, you
+son of a gun, move along with you!"
+
+The individual in question, a beetle-browed young fellow, whose
+head was closely swathed in a brilliantly-red handkerchief, and who
+dangled his sombrero from one hand, squatted on the shaft of the
+nearest waiting cart, puffing a cigarette and staring with insolent
+eyes at the commander of the irregulars.
+
+"Cheek!" exclaimed Jack. "The beggar looks at us as if we were
+trespassers. Haul him up, Andrews; we'll give him trespassers."
+
+Jack sought in the back of his mind for all the Spanish he knew and
+burst into an ungrammatical tirade when the muleteer was brought
+forward by Andrews.
+
+"Hi, you!" said Jack haughtily; "hook it, double quick! You're
+keeping the duke's own corps of irregulars. Sheer out with your
+bothering carts or it'll be the worse for you."
+
+That was the substance of his speech, a speech that brought a
+supercilious grin from the young man.
+
+"_Si, señor_," he said, "but there is time; there is always time."
+
+Jack gripped his meaning with difficulty, and then bubbled over with
+wrath. Had he commanded cavalry he would have been tempted to ride
+over the insolent fellow and his obstruction. As it was, he felt he
+could thrash the man with his whip. But such action was out of the
+question. Jack fumed and raged, while Andrews grinned secretly. As
+for the Spaniard, he returned to his cart, finished his cigarette,
+and then gave the order for the group of vehicles to move forward.
+But as soon as the corps of irregulars had passed he sent a messenger
+to call its commander.
+
+"Well?" demanded Jack haughtily, riding back, and meeting the man
+alone and well away from all others. "What fool's errand have you
+called me for?"
+
+"Gently does it, Jack. Gently! I'll be frightened," laughed the
+muleteer, in the purest English. "How are things going?"
+
+The young leader of the composite corps nearly dropped from his
+horse, and then, bending low, stared at this stranger.
+
+"I'm blistered!" he growled. "Am I standing on my head, or----"
+
+"Don't get frightened," came the grinning answer. "It's Tom, right
+enough. I'm glad we've met, for it proves my disguise to be good.
+Not one of the men recognized me, and I gave 'em every chance; even
+Andrews was hoodwinked. How'll I do?"
+
+[Illustration: A CLEVER DISGUISE]
+
+Jack could still have been levelled flat with the proverbial feather,
+for his chum had been absent from the camp exactly a week, and
+Alfonso with him. It had been given out that they had ridden for
+Oporto, and they had, in fact, taken the road for that place. But
+some miles from the camp both had stripped off their uniforms and had
+donned the dress worn by muleteers, of whom thousands were employed
+with both British and French armies. Then they had been joined by
+a faithful servant of Alfonso, one who accompanied him on this
+campaign, who handed over to the two lads half a dozen native carts,
+together with their teams of mules.
+
+"He'll stable our horses away on Father's estate," explained Alfonso.
+"We can stow our uniforms in two of the carts, and then, if we want
+to change back to ourselves at any time, we have the things near us.
+Now?"
+
+"Back to the camp," said Tom, "There we pick up four of our
+fellows who were on the sick list till last week. They've been
+reported as fit only for light duty, and so, at my suggestion, are
+to be allowed to continue with the army as drivers. They're trusty
+fellows, and may be relied on not to give us away to friends or
+enemies. Back we go, Alfonso."
+
+As bold as brass--for the handkerchief swathed round the brows and
+the wide sombrero hat were disfiguring and an excellent disguise--the
+two drove their teams into camp, and bivouacked close to Tom's own
+regiment. And here they were, on the road, obstructing that same
+corps, and causing the irate and lofty Jack to bubble over.
+
+"Of all the blessed cheek!" he began to gasp, faintly recognizing
+Tom. "You gave me an awful start. To think of you being alongside
+us, giving me lip too. That beats everything. But----what's up?" he
+demanded in a hoarse whisper, leaning over from his saddle. "What's
+this disguise for? And why march with the British army?"
+
+Tom waved him away. "Look out," he said hurriedly. "Those muleteers
+are looking this way. Pretend to row me; threaten me with your whip.
+I'll sneak away in the usual Spanish manner."
+
+Cunning eyes were, indeed, fixed upon them at that moment. A man
+amongst a batch of drivers passing with his team just then recognized
+Jack as the leader of irregulars, one with whom, had that young
+officer been able to guess it, he had already had dealings. But the
+scene immediately following disarmed all suspicion. Jack raged at
+the man standing near him. His whip went up over his shoulder, and
+he slashed out fiercely, cleverly missing his friend. As for Tom,
+he scowled and muttered loudly, while his hand went to an imaginary
+stiletto.
+
+"Draw your sword and skewer him if he shows fight," shouted a cavalry
+officer, also a witness of the scene, galloping up now. "Get back to
+your cart!" he commanded.
+
+Tom slank away, while Jack explained the insolence of the man,
+getting advice born of long experience.
+
+"They're the biggest set of thieving, murdering rascals I ever set
+eyes on," declared the officer, "and would knife one as soon as eat
+a dinner. I never allow 'em to answer. I'm fair and square and kind
+when things are right, but if there's disobedience, or treachery, or
+insolence in the air, I go for 'em red-headed, red-headed me boy,
+and knock the courage clean out of the rascals. I know; I've been on
+transport duty in this country in the early days of the campaign,
+and I've learned that firmness, and violence too, sometimes, are
+necessary."
+
+There was a grin of amusement on Tom's face as he returned to the
+carts, while the seemingly sleepy eyes of his fellow muleteers
+twinkled. Whether our hero and his cousin had embarked upon a
+fool's chase or not it was impossible to say; but this was certain,
+occupying a false position as they did, where the piercing of their
+disguise by comrade or enemy would be equally disastrous to their
+scheme, they still had everything in their favour. Those men were
+oysters; not one knew anything. They had taken service with the
+chief muleteer, he with the bright handkerchief about his head, and
+that was all. His name? No--that they had not heard. His age? They
+shrugged their shoulders. What did age matter in a country where time
+was of no consequence? Then he loved the English? Another shrug.
+Perhaps; who could say? He had had a fierce altercation with one of
+their officers that very day.
+
+"A lucky meeting it was, too," declared Tom to his cousin, when they
+were tucked in their cart that night, secure from eavesdroppers.
+"Every muleteer with our troops will hear the yarn before to-morrow's
+finished, and that's just what we want."
+
+"Want?" ejaculated Alfonso, with a lift of the eyebrows.
+
+"Yes, want."
+
+"But--why?"
+
+"Because we've thrashed this matter out, haven't we?"
+
+Alfonso assented, shrugging in his blankets because the habit was too
+strong for him. "But," he said.
+
+"I'll explain. There are spies about, stealing Wellington's papers
+and plans."
+
+"Exactly."
+
+"And strangers with the troops are few and far between, and get
+spotted precious quickly."
+
+"Granted--then?"
+
+"Then the spies are not strangers. They are to be found amongst men
+accustomed to be with the troops, non-combatants of course; for
+soldiers don't go in for such dirty business. So one looked round."
+
+"And pitched on the only possible people--muleteers, the scum of
+the earth," declared Alfonso, with another shrug, which Tom found
+strangely disconcerting. Who ever heard of a fellow who must needs
+shrug his shoulders in bed and in the darkness?
+
+"Drop that shrugging," he growled. "Upsets me. Well, there we are. We
+pitched on muleteers. To watch 'em properly we decided to join them
+ourselves."
+
+"And here we are--not that I grumble," said Alfonso, beginning
+another shrug and arresting it as Tom kicked savagely. "But rations
+might be more plentiful. Still, as you say, here we are; and here we
+stay, I suppose."
+
+"Till things turn up. I'm going to let it get about that we're
+discontented beggars. If there's a gang about, we may be invited to
+join. Who knows, through such a gang we might get hold of that fellow
+who captured your father and mine?"
+
+"José, eh?" asked his cousin.
+
+"Perhaps."
+
+"In any case the rascal we were after in Oporto, whose spy we
+captured going to Ciudad Rodrigo. That's the puzzle. We agree that it
+was he who abducted our parents. But is he also José, and if so, or
+the reverse, is he associated with the ruffians who have been robbing
+the dispatch box of his lordship, the leader of this army?"
+
+There the puzzle was laid out in all its bareness and meagreness.
+There were links missing in the chain of flimsy evidence; but this
+was certain, both lads had lost a father while José was in the
+country.
+
+"Heigho! We'll leave the matter and get to roost," sighed Tom, for
+driving a team of fractious mules is no light task. "Things are going
+well, that's all. Something'll turn up presently."
+
+He was a cheery, optimistic young fellow, and soon dropped asleep;
+for worry was of no use to our hero. The following day found him just
+as cheerfully helping the British army in his new and humbler way to
+advance to conquest. For Madrid was the goal; those three victories
+had, in fact, opened up the heart of Andalusia. Ciudad Rodrigo and
+its capture against strenuous difficulties had shown the French that
+we were out for business, and the fall of Badajoz had set a laurel
+about the brows of the British regiments. None doubted now that even
+when skill did not count, bull-dog courage was one of their cherished
+possessions. Moreover, Salamanca had cast a shade over the French
+invaders of the Peninsula. Almarez, and the destruction of those
+forts, the bridge, and the vast stores of the enemy were but an
+incident, if one of utmost importance, in this third victory; that
+week of crafty manoeuvring near the road to Ciudad Rodrigo, with its
+attendant little actions and skirmishes, but a forecast of what was
+to follow. It was the stand-up fight in the open, when British troops
+had been exposed to veterans of France, led by noted strategists,
+when our brave fellows had smashed the power of Marmont--and by
+manoeuvres vieing his in skill--that helped to send the enemy
+rightabout, their faces set in the direction of France itself. The
+great king of Spain fled his capital. This Joseph, brother of the
+Great Napoleon, the "Little Corporal," so fond of placing members
+of his own family on the thrones of Europe, had departed in haste
+from Madrid, while Soult marched to join hands with Suchet. There
+was evidence that the enemy were less assured than formerly. There
+was a decided inclination for forces to co-operate; for the lesson
+Salamanca had taught was salutary. The British troops were worthy of
+a greater respect than had hitherto been accorded.
+
+And so for a while we may leave Wellington and his army, satisfied
+that the conduct of affairs would be always careful. Our interest
+turns naturally to Tom, sleeping then beside his cousin.
+
+For three days they continued to march with the troops, and each
+succeeding one found them better acquainted with their fellow
+muleteers, and already earning the reputation of being discontented
+fellows.
+
+"Then you find fault with the work?" asked a bulky, stiff-necked
+Spaniard, with pock-marked face, who had once before accosted Tom.
+He it was, in fact, who had so cunningly watched the altercation
+between our hero and Jack Barwood.
+
+"The work? That is good enough as work goes, friend," Tom answered
+sulkily; "but had I my way I would be back there at home lolling away
+my time. Who wants to work, and for these British? And then, think of
+the pittance we earn."
+
+Tom was romancing with a vengeance, for if anyone liked work it was
+he. To be idle with him, as with the majority of decent fellows, was
+to be supremely miserable. As for the pay, a British army has the
+reputation of being liberal, and Wellington's was no exception.
+
+"Ah!" exclaimed the bull-necked fellow, leering cunningly at Tom, and
+expectorating to a distance. "The British! I hate them as I hate the
+French. But as for pay, there are ways of getting rich even when one
+is only a muleteer."
+
+Tom pricked up his ears instantly. He had taken note of this
+thick-necked, stumpy fellow before, he with the pock-mark face, a
+face which even if it had not been marred by disease would still have
+been the reverse of attractive.
+
+"Getting rich? How?" he asked.
+
+"Ah! That's telling. But there are ways, easy ways, ways unknown to
+the others."
+
+"And there is good money in it, my friend?"
+
+"Doubloons in plenty, I tell you," came the slow answer, while the
+man looked about him craftily.
+
+"Come to my wagon," said Tom, at once, anxious to allay any
+suspicions, and prepared to lead the man on. For here might be
+something in the nature of a clue. "I have a friend there who also
+would make money, if it is to be made readily. There is danger?"
+
+"Poof! Who thinks of danger when there is gold?" exclaimed the
+man loftily, though the flicker about his eyes belied his vaunted
+courage. "I will come gladly. You have a bottle of wine, perhaps.
+That would be interesting."
+
+Tom had a bottle of excellent stuff, as a matter of fact, and had
+obtained it with a view to a possible meeting of this sort. And,
+after all, the offer of a good glass of wine on a campaign such as
+that of the Peninsula was often more binding than a greater service.
+It followed that, within ten minutes, the three, this muleteer, Tom,
+and his cousin, were as bosom comrades, while before the fellow left
+he had made a cunning appointment.
+
+"Listen," he said, staring about him. "To-morrow we come to the city
+of Madrid. There I have friends, and you will meet them. I will give
+you the time and place of meeting. There you shall learn how money
+can be earned, and with such a spice of adventure about it that you
+will be charmed. Look for me to-morrow, then."
+
+"On the track at last," murmured Alfonso breathlessly when the man
+was gone. "You think he is one of the gang, Tom?"
+
+"Certain. Can't say, of course, that he has had anything to do with
+Wellington's papers; but I guess that's the case. However, we shall
+soon know that. Still, this is equally certain: whatever this work
+may be, and spying has something to do with it, it's the merest
+toss-up that it can have any connection with our governors. Oporto's
+a long cry from Madrid; Badajoz ain't much nearer."
+
+Late on the following evening the troops reached the outskirts of
+Madrid, where Tom and his cousin parked their carts and secured their
+mules in the mule lines.
+
+"You will look after things while we are gone," said Tom, addressing
+one of the men with them. "We have information which takes us into
+the city to-night perhaps. That information might possibly keep us
+absent from the camp for some days, so do not be alarmed if we do not
+return. Carry on as if we were still present."
+
+An hour later the rascally-looking muleteer put in an appearance, and
+promptly cast his eyes upon the bottle of wine nestling in a corner
+of Tom's cart.
+
+"A fine evening, one on which you will pave the way to a fortune," he
+leered. "But hot, infamously hot; these August days are always sultry
+in this country."
+
+Tom poured him out a glass, and watched with feelings of loathing as
+the fellow gulped down the fluid. He was a scoundrel, of that he was
+sure, a thick-headed scoundrel to be so easily duped. For here he was
+about to introduce two comrades, of whom he had but little knowledge,
+to a group of conspirators perhaps, and in any case to someone able
+and willing to pay for work not as a rule performed by muleteers.
+What was that work?
+
+"Spying--dirty work anyway," our hero growled to himself, for the
+thing was as foreign to his open-air, straightforward character as it
+could be. "But for the time being, at least, I'm prepared to be as
+great a spy and conspirator as any."
+
+"You are free to come?" leered the fellow, looking askance again at
+the bottle. Tom took the hint and refilled the glass.
+
+"Yes," he said coarsely, handing the wine over.
+
+"To the city?"
+
+"Anywhere where gold is promised."
+
+"And the danger?"
+
+"Pooh! Are we not under fire often?"
+
+"Then come."
+
+"But where? The city is a big place."
+
+"It is; but there are cribs where a man may hide. There we shall find
+our chief. Young like you, yes, young; but cunning, clever as they
+make them; keen, yes, sharp as any needle. Where? Ah, that wants
+telling! You wish for fortune. Then wait for it till the time comes.
+I am here as a benefactor."
+
+Was he foxing? Was this crafty fellow luring them on? No--a thousand
+times no. The whole transaction had been so spontaneous.
+
+Tom looked across at Alfonso and found no warning glance in his eyes.
+His Spanish cousin was as eager as he; he had no fears of a plot
+against them.
+
+"Ready then," said Tom, as he felt the dagger beneath his waistcoat
+and the pistol thrust into the leg of his boot, for he was seated on
+the shaft of the cart. "We put ourselves in your hands."
+
+"Then come."
+
+Watched by the eyes of the other men who had accompanied them, Tom
+and his cousin went off with their companion and were soon within
+the city, for the place had opened on the arrival of the British.
+Plunging into a side street, they wended their way towards the
+lower quarters of the city and were soon threading narrow alleys
+with noisome slums on either hand. Then their guide turned into a
+doorway and tapped three times sharply. Once more he gave his signal.
+Scurrying feet were heard. Stairs groaned and squeaked beneath a
+descending weight. The door was dragged open on rusty hinges.
+
+"Enter--how many?"
+
+"Three."
+
+"Then enter."
+
+Led by the one who had opened the door, and next by the rascally
+muleteer with whom they had scraped an acquaintance, Tom and his
+cousin entered the narrow, dark passage. They climbed the same
+groaning, squeaking flight of stairs, and then plunged into a room
+but dimly lighted. Ten men were present, a full ten, seated about a
+rickety table.
+
+Who were they? Conspirators? Yes, without doubt. Was José there?
+Impossible to say. Then any other they could recognize? No--yes.
+
+Tom's eyes pierced the flimsy disguise of one of the men present. It
+was the selfsame rascal captured outside Ciudad Rodrigo, whom he had
+impersonated, a spy then, and one now, one, moreover, whose sharp
+eyes might easily penetrate his own disguise and bring a hornet's
+nest about him.
+
+"But it's duty," he murmured softly to himself, as he took a seat.
+"Wellington's orders must be obeyed. I'm here to unravel a plot and
+make an end of a set of ruffians who are a nuisance and a danger to
+my countrymen."
+
+Yes, it was duty. But the risk! Tom and his cousin had still to
+fathom its depth, had still to face the consequences of this rash
+visit.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+The Conspirators' Den
+
+
+Imagine a low-ceilinged room, the whitening long since gone a
+dull smoke colour, cobwebs in the corner, dust on every angle and
+ridge, and a floor innocent of scrubbing-brush for many a long day.
+Imagine an atmosphere charged with pungent smoke from the pipes and
+cigarettes of ten conspirators, smoke generated by tobacco of the
+coarsest and foulest. Add to that the nauseating fumes of an oil
+lamp, trimmed perhaps a month before, flickering, red, and smoky.
+Then picture the forms and faces of those ten conspirators gathered
+about a huge, rickety table, forms of small proportion for the
+most part, slim and lithe as becomes the young man of Spain, but
+alternated in the case of two at least by the grossest stoutness.
+Double chins were owned by that more aged couple. Their faces were
+masked by bushy eyebrow, and fierce moustaches, that curled upwards,
+while their chins were clad and obscured by black beards of a week's
+growth. For the rest, they were mostly clean-shaven, hawk-eyed, keen,
+blinking at the newcomers through the smoke which filled the chamber.
+
+"Welcome!" A solitary voice broke the silence when at length Tom and
+his companions were seated. But whence it came, from whom, he had
+no notion. The tones were deep, almost guttural. They might have
+emanated from the floor or from the smoke-blacked ceiling.
+
+"Welcome! You come in time to do good work. Declare your names, your
+age, and your parentage. Let one of you stand out before us and
+speak."
+
+The time had come to brave the whole matter, to risk discovery. Tom
+rose to his feet from the rickety chair to which he had been invited
+and stood before the company. He stared across the table, through the
+gloom, and sought the one who had spoken. But not one of the ten had
+moved. Not one seemed to have opened his lips. Ah! in the background,
+sheltered in the angle of the room, was yet another figure. The face
+leered out at him, one writhing hand concealing the features. Did Tom
+recognize this fellow even then?
+
+"No," he told himself. "The cunning beggar keeps a hand across his
+face. But--but I'll swear the voice is familiar, though masked now.
+Present!" he cried boldly. "We have come for information. We are
+ready to do good work and to earn a reward better than that paid to
+humble muleteers."
+
+The figure moved from the angled recess in which it had been hiding.
+The man or youth--Tom could not guess which--writhed his way across
+the unwashed floor and halted at the table. One thin, shivering hand
+was stretched forward as if to gather warmth from the lamp, which was
+suddenly dashed to one side and the room plunged into darkness. At
+that instant vice-like fingers seized our hero by the neck, his legs
+were cut away from beneath him, while someone, evidently prepared
+for the occasion, tossed a coil of rope about him and drew it tight.
+There was the sound of a desperate struggle near at hand. Once Tom
+was violently kicked, evidently by accident. And then there was
+stillness; the lamp was set flaring again; the same masked, guttural
+voice once more was heard.
+
+"Take them away; deal with them according to instructions. See that
+they are securely bound; let them understand that the end is near.
+Go."
+
+Tom could still see, though his arms were trussed to his side, while
+he was otherwise helpless. He fixed his eyes upon that central figure
+and tried to pierce the disguise, for disguised this leader of the
+conspirators was. But was it José? He scoffed at the idea. José
+ringleader of such a group! He had not the pluck for such a venture.
+Then who? He knew the voice, masked though it was. It had been
+familiar at some occasion. Where, then? When?
+
+"Go; take them away. To-morrow deal with them as you have been
+ordered."
+
+Men lit their cigarettes again. The band gathered once more about
+the table. There was an air of triumph about them all, something
+which seemed to say that they had brought about a _coup_ and had
+been wonderfully clever; as, indeed, they had been. Tom in his young,
+ambitious heart had fondly imagined that all had been taken in by
+the disguise which he had affected. But the rascals of whom Lord
+Wellington had to complain were no ordinary individuals, though, as
+a rule, they were dressed as muleteers and followed that vocation.
+There was a clever, subtle brain behind them, and that brain had
+contrived to discover the plan so carefully formulated by Tom and his
+cousin. The rascally, leering driver of mules who had brought them to
+this rendezvous was but a decoy, fooled just as cleverly as they had
+been. Their coming was expected. Preparations for their capture were
+completed even before they left the safety of their camp. And now,
+what was before them?
+
+"Murder, I suppose," thought Tom, repressing a shiver. "That's the
+sort of thing these fellows go in for. What's the move now? They're
+bundling us out of the room, but where to is more than I can guess.
+Keep your pecker up, Alfonso," he called, when the door was shut on
+them, and they stood in a passage. "It'll all come out right in the
+end."
+
+"Silence! Pass in here," commanded one of the two ruffians who
+escorted them. "Not both, but you."
+
+A door was wrenched open, and Tom was flung in, receiving a savage
+kick from the second of their escort. The door banged, the lock
+creaked and grated before he picked himself up from the floor. Then
+there was more tramping, the wrenching open of a second door, and
+another crash and bang. The heavy steps of two men came and passed
+his door. The room beyond, which they had so lately left, was opened.
+There came to his ears the buzz of many voices. Even the pungent reek
+of tobacco and lamp smoke smote upon his nostrils, and then there was
+comparative silence, save for a dull murmur.
+
+"Muzzled! Fooled! Caught finely! In chokey!" groaned Tom, full of
+bitterness. "And just when we thought things were going so nicely.
+But let's look round. I'm tied fast by the elbows and thumbs; I can't
+move my arms, while my legs are free. So much then to the good; it
+might have been worse."
+
+That was Tom all over--an optimist from the very depths of him.
+Always ready to look on the bright side of things. A grouser? Never!
+Life held too many rosy spots for our hero, as it does for all who
+care to look just an inch below the surface for them. Things could
+not always run smoothly, that he knew. They never do for anyone.
+Even kings have their trials and troubles, and why not humble
+individuals like our hero? It is the man who looks upon the bright
+side of matters who lives long and enjoys happiness. Unconsciously,
+perhaps--perhaps also because he was the son of his father, the
+jovial, stout, and rollicking Septimus, himself an optimist--Tom,
+too, looked ever upon the rosy side. He was in trouble; why then make
+the very worst of that fact? Why not try to improve matters? And,
+being the practical fellow he was, Tom began to look about him. The
+gloom gave way after a while. Light from a street lamp, or perhaps
+it came from a house opposite, flickered into the room, and now that
+his eyes were accustomed to it he could see his surroundings. There
+was a window, yes. It was twenty feet from the ground. An easy jump
+if his limbs were free, a dangerous attempt with his arms fettered.
+There was a dirty floor and a smoke-blacked ceiling. Not a stick of
+furniture was present. Yes there was, if blinds are furniture; for
+there was a blind to the window. It was let down to its full length,
+and there was the cord. It passed beneath a catch, and----
+
+"My uncle!" gasped Tom, following Jack's pet expression. "There's a
+serrated surface there, a regular saw, if only I could approach the
+edge. How's that? Bad. Try again. How's that? Worse. Never say die
+then. What's the report on this occasion?"
+
+It was good, or fair, or middling, as he changed his position ever
+so little. Sometimes the edges of the toothed band controlling the
+length or position of the pulley over which the blind cord ran
+gripped the strands of rope about his thumbs. Sometimes the latter
+slid over them as if they were not in existence. Then they gripped
+again, feebly perhaps, then with a vim there was no denying. Tom
+grew hot with the effort. Perspiration poured from his forehead. He
+pressed with even greater fierceness against the toothed edge he had
+found.
+
+"Through! Thumbs free," he was able to assure himself after a while.
+"Those chaps are still at it, gassing and smoking. Now for my elbows.
+That's a different matter altogether. It's mighty hard to get them
+down into position, and one isn't sure when they're rubbing."
+
+But it could be done. If he had been successful so far, surely this
+additional difficulty was not going to discourage him. Tom clenched
+his teeth and stooped, managing by a gymnastic evolution to bring his
+fettered elbows against the serrated edge of the blind-cord catch.
+But the task was irritatingly slow and laborious. He rubbed with all
+his might, and still the cord held his arms pinioned closely together
+behind him. However, perseverance was a virtue of which he had quite
+his fair share, and Tom hated being beaten. Yes, whether in a matter
+of life and death, as this was, or in the ordinary affairs of life,
+Tom was a demon for work--a stickler, a fellow who liked to see a
+thing through and watch it to success. A strand of the cord gave with
+a little pop. Beads of perspiration burst from pores in his forehead
+until then untapped, and, welling up, joined the stream already
+flowing towards the corners of his eyes. Then there came a sound of
+loud and exultant laughter from the smoke-grimed room occupied by the
+conspirators. The door burst open, while heavy feet resounded in the
+passage outside.
+
+"Free! Pulled the cords open. If they try any games with me I'm
+ready."
+
+He gathered up the fallen strands like lightning, threw himself into
+the darkest corner, with his arms held behind his back as if they
+were still pinioned, while in one hand he gripped his pistol, his
+stiletto in the other. Nor was he any too soon. A key grated in the
+lock; the bolt slid back with a rusty creaking. The door itself came
+open with a bang, admitting half a dozen ruffians, who staggered in
+one after the other.
+
+One was fat and jowly and unwieldy of body. He brought a rickety
+chair with him and a lamp, and having thumped the former down in
+a central position proceeded to mop his reddened face. The others
+leaned against the dirty walls, surveying their prisoner with
+satisfied grimaces, while cigarettes protruded from their lips.
+
+"_Señor Inglise_," began one--when the fat man interrupted him.
+
+"_Señor_ indeed! Prisoner. Dog of an Englishman!"
+
+"As you will," shrugged the other. "Dog of an Englishman! Here is a
+test, and our fat friend will carry it out. You are on the staff of
+Lord Wellington. You know all things; then tell your tale. There is
+life and liberty for the telling."
+
+"As there was for me outside the walls of Rodrigo," shouted another
+of the rascals, whom Tom instantly recognized as the spy his men had
+captured, and whom he had impersonated. "Life and liberty. I took
+both. Here now is your chance. The tale, and then the open door."
+
+[Illustration: THE FAT MAN THREATENS TOM]
+
+"Or a grave," added the fat man, thrusting his handkerchief away and
+slowly drawing a pistol. "Mark you, Englishman, we wish you no harm.
+We ask for very little. What now are the plans of the English lord?"
+
+Tom laughed at them. He rocked from side to side at their questions,
+but as he did so he wondered whether he ought straightway to shoot
+the rascal into whose pistol muzzle he looked. It would be so easy.
+As for the others, pooh! he did not fear them. A blow here, a thrust
+with his stiletto there, and he would be out of the room. But there
+was Alfonso. No--the time had not yet come for shooting.
+
+"_Señors_, you choose to joke," he said pleasantly. "What next?"
+
+"For you, nothing after my bullet. For us, the easy task of
+extracting information from your comrade."
+
+"Ah! There they thought to succeed--never!" Tom told himself, for
+Alfonso was a strict patriot. "Why ask for this information?" he
+demanded. "Of what use is it to you?"
+
+Quick as a flash he saw the importance of here and now discovering
+whether or no this was a gang of conspirators or spies dealing in
+official secrets, the pests who had already purloined maps and plans
+from Lord Wellington's dispatch case, rascals, in fact, who traded
+on the news they were able to sell to the enemy. He noticed glances
+passing between the men present. The sunken orbits of the fat man
+turned from one to another, his jowly cheeks flapping. And then he
+swung round on Tom.
+
+"You may as well know as not," he said, with an air of impertinent
+assurance, "for if you speak, and tell this tale, you are one of us.
+If you decline----"
+
+He levelled his pistol with precision, squinted along the sights
+till our hero, staring at the rogue, could see his fat cheek at the
+far end bulging over the butt. And then a podgy finger went to the
+trigger. It was a nasty feeling, that, distinctly nasty. Tom found
+himself clinging very hard to his pistol butt. He barely withstood
+the strong temptation to start to his feet and attack the odious
+ruffian. Then a smile broke across his face, a smile that seemed to
+reassure the fat man, while the others, villains undoubtedly, sighed
+as they were relieved of a strain which even they felt.
+
+"But of course you will speak, and therefore I may tell you who we
+are," the man in the centre said, leaning forward so that the chair
+squeaked, while he slowly lowered his weapon. "Know then, Englishman,
+that we have business with all such matters. To the British we carry
+plans made by the French. From the British we take similar plans, and
+pass them to the enemy. Simple, is it not? Unpatriotic! Poof! We must
+live, and such business is paying. I will tell you. From this Lord
+Wellington our friend yonder took many documents but a month ago.
+They now rest in the case of Monsieur the French commander, while we
+live here in luxury. That is so, comrade?"
+
+The rascal alluded to, none less than the very one whom Tom
+impersonated at Ciudad Rodrigo, wagged his head knowingly and smiled
+a smile of triumph.
+
+"It is so; we have papers here to prove it."
+
+"Then it's the gang, and a pretty set of scoundrels they are, to be
+sure," thought Tom, turning the matter over swiftly. But he wanted to
+know more, he wanted additional time in which to complete a plan then
+forming in his head. "But----" he began.
+
+"There is not such a thing as but in our business. We succeed always.
+Here, supposing we fail with you, and I have the unpleasant task of
+shooting you, we succeed without a doubt with your comrade. Ah, that
+stirs you!" gurgled the fat ruffian, hugely enjoying his fancied
+position of bully.
+
+"That is understood," came Tom's answer, given with easy assurance,
+though the poor fellow was feeling far from happy. "But I was about
+to ask, seeing that I am invited to join you, surely you have a
+leader? Then who is he?"
+
+"The tale, and then you shall see; for of a surety we have a leader.
+Now, friend Englishman, you have put your own head into this noose,
+take therefore my advice and escape in the only way possible. Believe
+me, the part of spy, conspirator, what you like to term it, is easy
+enough."
+
+"And supposing I know nothing?" It was, after all, only a reasonable
+suggestion, for the officer in command of a British army, or any
+other army for the matter of that, is not in the habit of spreading
+his plans broadcast, nor is every staff officer of sufficient
+importance to warrant such confidence. No; such matters are buried
+secrets, discussed only amongst the highest, often enough known only
+to those immediately helping the commander. To speak the truth, Tom
+had his own ideas of the future movements of this Peninsula campaign;
+but they were his ideas only, discussed with comrades over a camp
+fire. They were very likely not Wellington's. Once before, too, he
+had had ideas, ideas imagined for a purpose. He remembered of a
+sudden how he had rewritten the spy's message to the commander at
+Ciudad Rodrigo, giving supposed plans of his commanding officer which
+were likely enough, no doubt, but happened to be merely the result of
+guesswork. And why not buy freedom here for a while? Why not purchase
+respite even for a few hours? Yes, even for only a few hours, for in
+that space of time he could do much.
+
+"I'll speak," he said abruptly, causing the fat man almost to
+overbalance. "But the tale is a long one. A map will be necessary. I
+must sketch the plans and write against them."
+
+"Ah! Did I not say that he, a staff officer, must know all?" gurgled
+the stout wretch. "Did I not prophesy that he would speak? While our
+leader swore the opposite. Declared he would never open his mouth,
+even with a pistol grinning at him. Poof! I knew I should succeed. I
+have that reputation."
+
+He mopped the perspiration from his face, rolled a cigarette, and
+lit it with the help of a comrade. "But why not speak now?" he asked
+suspiciously. "Now, while we are here to listen."
+
+Tom paused a little before answering. It would not do, he guessed,
+to be too emphatic. "Yes," he began, wrinkling his brows, "I could
+try, of course. But the thing must be written and sketched some time
+if it is to be any use to you, so that I should have to tell it all
+over again. Why not let me do it all at the same time, and add the
+sketches? Then you will have such complete information that you will
+be able to command a high price for it."
+
+"Bravo!" called one of the men. "He speaks the truth. Why not as he
+suggests? We have him securely here. Then give him time. Cut him free
+now, and leave him to it."
+
+How strange to feel in his heart almost terror at that suggestion,
+a suggestion which he would have welcomed but ten minutes before.
+Tom went furiously hot from head to foot, and then felt like an
+icicle. For to cut him free meant a discovery. That discovery of his
+severed bonds would rouse suspicion, and even he could hardly hope to
+persuade these folks to trust him again. "Wait," he called. "Leave me
+as I am to think. Bring pens and ink and paper when you have them."
+
+"And food in the first place. See you there," cried the fat man,
+pointing to the fellow Tom had already met, "go for food. Then pass
+outside the house and get the writing things. We will go back to a
+meal; you can join us later.
+
+"After the meal I have a friend to see outside. I will get these
+things, and then join you as the night gets older."
+
+There was a knowing smile on more than one of the ruffianly faces.
+The fat man grinned and chortled. "A friend! Hola!" he cried. "And
+one whose company is better and more entertaining than that of these
+comrades. Well, well! We have all had friends. When the war is ended,
+and we have done more business, you will marry the wench, and small
+blame to you."
+
+They went away at once, banging the door and leaving their prisoner.
+
+The sigh which Tom sighed was of the number one order. It was
+immense. It heaved his shoulders upward and his ribs outward till he
+looked like a trussed pigeon. And the perspiration trickling from his
+forehead showed under what tension he had laboured. For he had passed
+through a terrible ordeal, one which might easily have overmastered
+his courage. That grinning pistol was not the worst part of it all,
+though it was bad enough. There were a hundred fears lurking in his
+heart. Supposing, for instance, it came to the point where he drew
+up this sketch, information and plans purely imaginary, conjured up
+in a somewhat inventive brain, and those plans proved in the end
+to be actually in a manner similar to those projected by the great
+Wellington! Then his name would go down for ever and ever as a
+traitor, as a coward, as a spy. The word was loathsome to him. Better
+to be butchered than suffer such a chance.
+
+Then the old optimistic spirit triumphed. "Chance! There wasn't such
+a thing, for he hadn't yet set his hand to paper, and wouldn't if he
+could help it. The job's got to be tackled right at once," he told
+himself; "there's no time for delaying. But one thing's certain: this
+is the very gang Lord Wellington wishes to discover. For haven't I
+had proof positive? Then how to haul the whole lot by the heels? Ah,
+that's a conundrum! Precious queer for a fellow to be sitting in a
+hole like this, a prisoner, and to wonder how he's going to capture
+the fellows who have bagged him! Queer, I do think!"
+
+He actually smiled. Tom began to grin at the recollection of his good
+fortune, for he had had undoubtedly the best of the recent interview.
+He had, for the time being at any rate, hoodwinked a portion of the
+gang, and, seeing that the noise in the adjacent room, deafening
+after the entry of his late visitors, had now subsided into a
+gentle murmur, why, if noise was any criterion of his fortunes, the
+conspirators were easy in their minds.
+
+Seated in his corner, Tom began to pass each one of the individuals
+who composed the gang in review before him. Not that he could
+remember in detail all those ruffianly countenances; but there were
+some whose features had left an impression. The two fat men, for
+instance, rascals if ever there were any; then half a dozen of the
+others; and lastly, and to the exclusion of the remainder, the one he
+had taken for leader, the shadowy individual, obviously disguised,
+with the writhing hand across his mouth and the assumed voice.
+
+"Could that be José? No. The fellow was too short. But--but, awfully
+like him, that writhing hand. And the voice too?"
+
+Tom scratched his head, a luxury denied him a little earlier. "Bother
+the chap!" he cried. "Anyway, I hope it won't prove to be that
+precious cousin. All the better for him and for us when I come to
+round up this crowd!"
+
+How Jack Barwood would have roared with laughter at him! But let us
+tell the whole truth. Down in the depths of his own jovial heart of
+hearts Jack would have been, secretly, just a wee little bit jealous.
+For what thundering optimism was here!
+
+"The cheek of him!" he would decidedly have exclaimed. "Here's Tom
+foxing in a corner, with his hands freed when they're supposed to
+be lashed together. That's, so far as I can see, his only point of
+advantage. Against that single item he's a prisoner, locked in a
+room, with a band of cut-throat villains eating their supper beside
+him. And here he has the amazing cheek to think, and think seriously
+too, of the time when he'll have captured the lot, to even sympathize
+with a cousin who may possibly be the leader. Hoo!"
+
+Indignation, amusement, concern for the evident idiocy of his chum
+would be expressed in his retort had he been there to make one. But
+he wasn't, more's the pity. And to our hero the amusing, idiotic
+side of his thoughts, if so you care to term it, was a source of no
+more than passing interest. He began to check certain matters over
+on the tips of his fingers. He nodded his head knowingly, and then,
+of a sudden, he looked up. For the door yonder had opened. Now it
+banged to with a crash. A step was coming along the passage. A key
+was thrust into the lock, and presently the man who was to supply him
+with food, and, later, with writing implements and paper, was pushing
+his way into his prison. In a moment he would stoop to cut those
+lashings which now were not in existence. In a moment, in fact, the
+cat would be out of the bag. Tom braced his muscles for a struggle.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+Tom Thinks Furiously
+
+
+The man who had entered Tom's prison, the one whom his irregulars had
+captured outside Ciudad Rodrigo, and in whose clothes our hero had
+made his venture into the fortress, pushed the door to with his toe,
+and, stooping, deposited a wooden tray in the centre of the room, on
+the identical spot so lately occupied by the rickety and creaking
+chair of the fat rascal who had been so free with his promises and
+his pistol.
+
+"Food and drink," he said, as he stood upright. "Ah, I had forgotten
+the comrade! He, too, perhaps, would care for something. Then I must
+get the key. Eduardo has it. Yes, that is what I shall do. Then there
+is the pen and ink and paper, and later----"
+
+"The friend," smiled Tom, watching the fellow like a cat. "The little
+friend, comrade, whom you will marry when you have made this fortune."
+
+The fellow grinned; he liked the wit of the English staff officer. It
+flattered his vanity to be chaffed about this little matter of which
+he was inordinately proud. Yes, it pleased him distinctly--this
+prisoner was quite an amiable fellow.
+
+"Ho, ho!" he laughed. "Wait till you are one of us. But, remember,
+fine feathers make fine birds. You will have no gaudy uniforms. In
+matters such as this with us it is a case of the man alone. It is
+personality that tells."
+
+Tom would have laughed at his stupid vanity at another time. But
+there he was, all strung up for the struggle which he knew to be
+inevitable, waiting and waiting. And how can a man, or a youth for
+the matter of that, conjure up an easy smile under such circumstances?
+
+"Yes, it is always the man himself who makes the running," said this
+fellow. "But I will take food to your comrade, and then for the rest."
+
+He was wool-gathering, this spy. Even spies, we suppose, have their
+amorous moments and their gentler passions. This man was so taken up
+with the thought of the outing he was to have that he was actually
+pulling the door open and leaving without a thought as to the
+condition of his prisoner. Of what use food and drink when a man's
+hands were supposed to be fast bound behind him?
+
+The reader can imagine the temptation Tom felt to let him go without
+a murmur; for then the struggle, inevitable no doubt, would be
+deferred for a while. He would have a longer breathing space; he
+would, perhaps, be better prepared in the course of a few minutes.
+
+"Funking, eh?" he asked himself severely. "Wanting to put it off,
+you brute. Hi!" he called. "Thanks for the food and all that is to
+follow, but permit me to point out that I am unable to touch it.
+After all, even were I a four-footed animal, I could hardly manage
+the task with two of my limbs tied. No doubt the thought of this
+friend drives such trivial matters out of your head."
+
+A roar escaped the jailer. This was quite the best joke he had come
+across in many a long day's march. How his comrades would cackle when
+he told them; for of course he would do that. It would add zest to
+their chaffing.
+
+"Indeed it is a pretty compliment I am paying a certain person,
+and so I shall tell her," he giggled. "To think that I who am so
+careful should go about with my wits so flying. She will smile and be
+pleased. Hola! Then this is a true sign of my feelings for the minx."
+
+"Quite a decent fellow in some ways, though a traitor," thought Tom,
+eyeing the fellow narrowly. "Makes one feel rather a sneak to upset
+this meeting. But then, business comes first, eh? Yes, I'm sorry for
+him, but it can't be helped."
+
+He staggered to his feet as the man came towards him, still with
+his hands behind his back. And then he lunged swiftly, catching the
+jailer neatly between the eyes with a fist the knuckles of which were
+now hard after months of strenuous campaigning. The man rose bodily
+from the floor, his feet kicked spasmodically forward, and in a
+moment the Spanish hero, the spy and traitor who with his comrades
+made a living by selling the stolen secrets of those who had come to
+deliver their country, was crashing upon the floor.
+
+Tom bent over him, a stern look on his face. He was ready for more
+violence if need be, though not eager. "Stunned, knocked him out
+with the sort of blow a pugilist would give. That's satisfactory for
+the moment. Now for the future. Sorry about that girl though. Must
+tell Jack Barwood and see if he cannot console. Now for Alfonso; but
+there's a bothering key wanted. Perhaps this one'll fit. Supposing it
+don't?"
+
+Up went his hand again. The dashing young staff officer, of whom Lord
+Wellington already had such a high opinion, looked for the moment
+just like a Spanish churl. For, recollect, he was still dressed as
+muleteer, and muleteers wear clothing which compares but badly with
+the smart uniform of an officer of the staff. Besides, he had been
+somewhat tumbled about of late. But what did it matter? Even had
+there been anyone to look on, it was too dark to discover details.
+Not that Tom could not see. Those ruffians who had interviewed him
+had taken a lamp to the room, and the man who lay sprawling now had
+brought a candle, only it had gone sprawling too, and lay guttering
+and almost out at that moment. Tom picked it up and looked about him.
+
+"No use waiting; time's precious," he told himself. "I'll see what
+can be done with Alfonso's door. Then we'll set things humming."
+
+He took the key from the door of his own prison, and, snatching up
+the candle, stealthily slipped along the passage. There was a door
+ten feet down it, and the key slid into the lock. But it refused to
+turn, causing Tom to groan with vexation. He closely inspected the
+lock then, and stood considering matters. A roar of laughing and
+loud voices from the farther room, in which the spies were supping,
+distracted his attention, and in a moment he was back at his own
+door. Ah! A streak of light burst its way into the passage. The door
+was opening. Tom instantly slid into his own room, closed the door
+gently, and locked it from within. Then, putting the candle in the
+far corner, on the same wall as the door, he waited events. They
+followed swiftly; for a minute later there came a thunderous blow
+upon the door, and then a burst of laughter.
+
+"Ho, there, within! We come to join a comrade at supper, and to bring
+him better fare than he has been given--open."
+
+It was the voice of the fat man, breathless as if after much effort,
+a little incoherent, if the truth be told. The laughter was that of
+men easily roused to merriment, who enjoy a feeble joke, or a saying
+wanting in wit and point, more thoroughly and longer than it merits.
+They had been supping, that was the explanation, and conspirators
+such as these might well be expected to sup wisely, but too freely
+perhaps. And here seemed to be an example.
+
+"Open!" bellowed the fat man, shaking the door violently.
+
+"Open!" roared his comrades, lurching against it. "Open and sup with
+new comrades."
+
+"And the key? Does a prisoner, even if he be about to become a new
+comrade--does he have the key of his prison given into his care?"
+
+The note of amusement which Tom managed to fling into his voice
+caught the fancy of these ruffians. They laughed uproariously, so
+that for a while not one could make his voice heard. And then one
+suggested that they should beat the door in.
+
+"Aye, beat it in!" gurgled the fat man. "See, I will throw myself
+against it, and, pish! the thing will fall to the ground."
+
+That put a summary end to the matter, for the fat individual was
+unable to control his muscles with sufficient precision and dexterity
+to bring about the attempted movement. He launched his ponderous
+weight at the door, it is true, but his dive fell short by two feet
+at least, and, stumbling, he rolled amongst his comrades, bringing
+about a scene of confusion.
+
+The place rocked with the laughter of men. More than one leaned
+against the door, shaking it badly. Then there were groans, fat
+groans, almost in a stifled voice, and coming from the one who seemed
+to be the ringleader in this piece of mischief. There was more
+movement and more groaning, then heavy steps, as if of men carrying
+a burden. In fact the fat man had been placed _hors de combat_. His
+own indiscretion and dash had brought about his downfall. A damaged
+leg caused his overexcited spirits to evaporate into the smoky air of
+the foul dwelling in which his comrades were supping, while the pain
+drew a succession of the dreariest of groans from him.
+
+"Done with their invitation for the time being," hoped Tom. "Ah,
+there goes the door to with a bang! I'll have a look outside and see
+what has happened."
+
+Gently turning the key, he pulled the door ajar and listened. Not a
+sound came from the passage, and when his head was thrust out there
+was not even a glimmer of light to be seen in the direction of the
+supper room. But there was noise enough. Laughter rose and fell,
+and was punctuated frequently by the dismal groanings of the man
+who had been hurt. In fact, it looked as if the gang had settled
+down for a time, and as if our hero might prosecute his own affairs
+without interference. He tiptoed along to Alfonso's room and shook
+the door heavily. But there was no answer from within, not even when
+he called in as loud a voice as he dared risk. Had he but known it,
+his cousin lay on the floor over by the far window, still pinioned,
+as obstinate as any mule, determined to hold no converse with the
+rascals who had captured him. He was not wanting in spirit, this
+Spanish cousin of Tom's. As a matter of plain fact, he too had made
+many and many an effort to free his limbs. But he had not observed
+a similar catch existing on his own window, and with which our hero
+had managed to saw through his own bonds. That was, perhaps, an
+excellent illustration of the difference existing between the two
+young fellows. Alfonso was a gallant officer, and had proved himself
+possessed of ample courage on many an occasion. He was not brilliant,
+however, and wanted some of the dash displayed by his English cousin.
+Perhaps that was the result of his nationality, of his upbringing,
+of his general life and surroundings until the outbreak of this
+Peninsula War. But then, had Tom's life and conditions been much
+different? He had lived his seventeen years in that quaint old house
+down by the Thames, with its fine mulberry tree spreading wide, leafy
+branches in front. The peeping into a big office provides no great
+excitement, nor the seeing there of certain grey-headed clerks who,
+as was the case at the establishment of Septimus John Clifford & Son,
+carried out their allotted tasks daily without a hair's variation.
+There was his school, to be sure; contact there with many a comrade;
+friendships made and lost and regained; struggles for supremacy in
+such games as then were practised; and, on occasion, somewhat too
+frequently as his masters stated flatly, there were contests outside,
+such as that between Tom and the grocer's lad. That had been our
+hero's life, quiet and regular enough, as one must admit. But the
+result was that Tom had a dash and swiftness about him Alfonso would
+never possess, while here was an illustration which pointed to his
+quickness. Alfonso still lay bound by the thumbs and elbows: Tom was
+free, in the enjoyment of active movement.
+
+"Perhaps he's asleep," he thought, shaking the door again and calling
+without receiving an answer. "Anyway, I daren't make more noise, and
+there is nothing about with which I could hope to force the lock. It
+begins to look as if I'll have to go to those rascals and hold the
+lot of them up till they produce the key. How'd it do?"
+
+His finger went pensively to his forehead, while he stood in the
+passage thinking deeply. At the far end the noise in the supper
+chamber had become even greater. There were shouts as well as
+laughter now, and once a sudden stamping, as if one of the gang had
+risen to his feet and was indulging in a _pas seul_, with which to
+enliven his comrades.
+
+"Let's get along to the farther end and see what's there. Ah, another
+room! Locked? No, open. No key, though, and the place as dirty as the
+others."
+
+He lifted the guttering candle overhead and inspected his
+surroundings. The room was empty, completely stripped of furniture.
+As a matter of fact the house itself was an empty one which this
+rascally gang had appropriated, taking full advantage of the times. A
+raid on neighbouring houses at the moment of the French retreat and
+the coming of the British had stocked certain of the rooms, while the
+owner must have been absent, else there would have been enquiries.
+Then, too, by staring out of the window, Tom made the discovery that
+the dwelling was situated at the end of a narrow yard, there being
+stabling on either hand. It blocked this far end, while opposite
+there was a low, arched exit leading into one of the minor streets of
+Madrid.
+
+"Just the sort of crib for such fellows. No one likely to come into
+the yard unless they had actual business here; and since these
+troubles started I expect few have been able to keep horses. The
+French cavalry, of whom there have been thousands swarming through
+the city, will have snapped up every atom of forage, and made
+horsekeeping an expensive and impossible thing for most inhabitants.
+So it's the place of all others for such a gang. Perhaps it'll suit
+me just as well too. Now I wonder."
+
+Stretching his head out of the narrow window he looked thoughtfully
+about him, and, gazing upward, took stock of the stars, for the
+clear night sky was thickly sown with them. One of the advantages of
+campaigning, and commanding an irregular corps undertaking frequent
+detached duties, was that he had learned to read his direction by the
+stars, and now a little careful study told him that he was facing
+south, that the street into which the house looked and the yard
+actually emptied ran east and west.
+
+"While the bulk of the city's to the north," he told himself.
+"That'll help once we get out of this hole."
+
+It is to be remarked that he had already decided that escape was
+not only possible but certain. And he had used the word "we". Tom,
+in fact, never even dreamed of leaving Alfonso. Had he done so, he
+could have dropped from that window and gone clear away. It would be
+a squeeze to push his somewhat bulky figure through the frame; but it
+could be done, and below, outside, lay freedom; within lay death. For
+this gang of spies was not likely to spare a young fellow possessed
+of some of their secrets, and able to bring soldiers to arrest them.
+The fact that they had spoken so plainly was proof positive that they
+considered the two prisoners had no chance of escape, while so little
+were they in sympathy with the feelings of an Englishman that they,
+for the most part, had taken it for granted that both Tom and Alfonso
+would willingly sell any knowledge they happened to have for the sake
+of security. And the very act of doing so would, of course, make them
+part and parcel of the gang; for to return to the troops would be
+impossible.
+
+"No use thinking at all," he grumbled, satisfied with his look out of
+the window. "Let's get to work. This room's empty, so I'll leave it.
+Now for the passage again. Ah! Stairs leading downward; others going
+up. Try those descending first of all."
+
+There was a door at the bottom of the steps leading directly into
+the big yard. The huge paving stones, littered with unswept rubbish,
+seemed to call loudly to him, to invite him to come out; for across
+their surfaces he could step to freedom. Behind, upstairs, lay
+danger; but a friend, a cousin, lay there also. Clambering up again,
+Tom was about to ascend to the floor above his prison, when shouts
+came from the supper room and sent him darting back to his own. The
+door hiding those villains swung back with a crash and revealed
+a scene which, when he came to look more closely at it--for he
+was now only venturing to peep through the partly opened door of
+his prison--caused him to stare at the members of the gang, whose
+acquaintance he had so recently made, with eyes which were distinctly
+startled. What else could one expect with such people, the lowest of
+the low, traitors to their country, men who made profit out of the
+misfortunes of the nation, and who stooped even to do a mischief to
+the very people who had come at such risk, and at such cost in blood
+and money, to help the Spanish against the French? These ruffians had
+been making merry without a doubt. Secure in their retreat--for the
+house was so isolated and shut in that even their shouts and ribald
+laughter were hardly likely to attract attention from outsiders--they
+had been supping liberally, and the red wine of Spain had been
+flowing. The view through the open door discovered three of the
+wretches dancing hilariously with unsteady feet, while beyond them,
+separated by the table, on which stood a smoky lamp, was the fat
+individual who had been so free with his pistol. His ungainly cheeks
+hung flabbily. His pig-like eyes were hardly visible, while his lips
+were blown outward at every expiration. Nor had he ceased groaning.
+Evidently he found the chair in which he had been placed little to
+his liking, or he may have been more severely injured than Tom
+thought. In any case his wrinkled forehead, his sallow cheeks, and
+his anxious eyes showed that he was suffering.
+
+But what cared the others? Not a jot. Those three danced right
+merrily, more than once being on the eve of upsetting the injured
+man. Comrades sprawled across the table, their heads buried in their
+hands, evidently sunk in sleep, while the picture was completed in so
+far as the contents of the room went, or so much of them as Tom could
+see, by a couple of the fellows sprawled motionless on the floor.
+Obviously it was not any of these who had caused the commotion. The
+centre of the scene, in fact, was occupied by two men half in and
+half out of the door, past whose figures Tom squinted to see the
+interior. One still clung to the latch, reeling unsteadily, while the
+other leaned against the post. It was clear that there had been an
+altercation between them, and as a matter of fact they had risen to
+go outside and fight the matter out. But Spanish tempers are quick
+and fiery. Shouts of anger came from both, while the man clinging to
+the door already had his stiletto drawn. Indeed Tom had hardly taken
+in all these particulars when the two threw themselves at one another
+like tigers, and, gripping wherever they could, fell to the ground,
+and there rolled from side to side as they struggled. Gasps and cries
+of hatred escaped them both, and then a shriek silenced every other
+sound within the building. It even stirred Alfonso to movement. He
+came to his door and beat his shoulders against it, for that shriek
+sent a horrible chill through him.
+
+"It may be Tom they're murdering," he told himself, with a gasp.
+
+But Tom was merely an onlooker, a horrified one, to be sure. That
+shriek told a tale there was no mistaking. Suddenly one of the men
+seemed to become flabby. The hand which had gripped his opponent's
+neck fell to the floor with a hollow bump. Then his head sank
+backward. The victor rose with difficulty, stood looking down at
+his victim, and, having wiped his stiletto on the tail of his coat,
+staggered back into the supper room and banged the door behind him.
+There was a hush about the building after that. Maybe those of the
+conspirators still able to understand were as disturbed as Tom at the
+occurrence. But we hardly think so. Quarrels were frequent enough;
+bloodletting was a common occupation.
+
+"Well, they're brutes, the whole lot of 'em, that's true," Tom
+told himself; "and it seems to me that the majority are in such a
+condition that they are hardly likely to discover what's happening.
+I'll wait a little, and then just go tooth and nail for that door.
+It would take any one of them five minutes to stir his drunken wits,
+and by then the thing'll be open and Alfonso out. But that's not all
+that I want. My orders were to discover the gang and apprehend them.
+That's clear; so the job's not finished with Alfonso's release."
+
+He went out into the passage boldly and slid along to the door of
+the supper room. A feeble groan came to his ears. That was the fat
+man--snores caused the air to vibrate. No doubt the rascals sprawling
+on the table and beneath it were responsible. But of talking there
+was none. As for the man on the floor, he was dead. Tom leaned over
+him and listened; there was not so much as the whisper of a breath.
+He ran his hands over the man's face, down his clothing, to his belt.
+The sheath of his drawn stiletto was there, and a pistol also. There
+was nothing more, nothing. Yes, there was something: Tom gripped it.
+It was a key thrust into the belt. He tore it out as if his life
+depended on his haste, and went racing down the passage. It fitted.
+The lock of Alfonso's room turned. The door swung open widely.
+
+"Come swiftly," whispered Tom, darting in and proceeding at once to
+cut Alfonso's bonds with the blade of a knife he always carried.
+
+"But--how have you done it? How long have you been free? Who helped
+you?" gasped his cousin, firing off a string of questions in a deep
+whisper. "Those brutes, where are they? I heard them fighting or
+drinking."
+
+"Hush! We'll talk the thing over later. Come to the window and look
+out. Now, there is the courtyard at the bottom of which this house is
+situated. When you reach the street, turn sharp left and run to the
+camp. Bring men back with you. Bring any soldiers you can come upon.
+It is hardly nine yet, and there will be plenty about. Also there is
+a bright, harvest moon, and that makes matters easier. Surround this
+house. Guard every outlet, and then we shall have the lot of these
+fellows. Alfonso, this is the very gang we are after."
+
+He took the still astonished Alfonso by the shoulders and pushed him
+out of the room and down the stairs into the yard.
+
+"But you, you, Tom? What happens? You stay? Why?"
+
+"Go quickly; this is a great chance. Go at once."
+
+Tom turned abruptly and entered the house again, while his cousin,
+knowing him by this time, and having already learned in the course of
+service under his command that this young English cousin of his had
+a way, when thwarted, of giving the curtest orders, darted out into
+the yard and went racing through it. The one remaining, the young man
+upon whom the great Lord Wellington had already turned his attention,
+crept up the stairs again to the passage. He stole softly to the door
+of the supper room and then back to those stairs leading upward.
+Ascending them, he reached another landing with a couple of doors
+leading from it. The flickering candle he bore in his hand showed
+the dirt and squalor of the place, and showed, moreover, something
+strange about one of the doors. It was heavily barred outside, while
+a padlock passed though an eyelet in the bar and made all secure.
+There were voices coming from the inside. Did our hero recognize
+those voices after listening for a while? Then why such extraordinary
+excitement, the like of which he had not shown before, even in the
+midst of strenuous adventure? He went red-hot from head to foot and
+gazed desperately about him. What could have caused this sudden
+nervousness? Could it be that one of the speakers must be José, the
+rascally cousin who had already done him such an injury, or could it
+be possible----?
+
+Frantic with eagerness he backed against the wall of the passage and
+then rushed at the door, putting all his strength and weight into
+the blow. He kicked it desperately. Careless of the commotion he
+raised, he kicked and kicked and kicked again, till, of a sudden,
+the door flew open. That moment, too, was the signal for loud shouts
+from the supper room. A swarm of rascals, roused from their stupor by
+the noise, came swarming out, and, running down the passage, found
+two empty prisons to greet them. The sound of breaking timber above
+reached their ears, and at once they turned to the stairs and raced
+up them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+A Brilliant Capture
+
+
+While Tom Clifford, commander of the composite force of Spanish and
+Portuguese irregulars, staff officer, and as smart a young fellow as
+served under Wellington's command, listens to the approach of those
+ruffians who had been such a scourge to our army, and who had traded
+upon the military plans and secrets of those who had come to aid
+their country, let us for a few moments anticipate events and narrate
+what followed the eventful conflict at Salamanca.
+
+Portugal was long ago cleared of the invading French. Now the
+enemy were sent flying into the heart of Spain, while Wellington
+could cheerfully cut himself clear of Portugal, feeling sure that
+the troops in rear would be sufficient to keep open his lines of
+communication, always an important matter with a general invading a
+country swarming with enemies. For then, if the worst came to the
+worst, the retreat lay open.
+
+We find him, then, promptly marching on Madrid, and have told how the
+troops, with Tom Clifford's command, reached that city. The immediate
+results of Salamanca and this march were far-reaching. King Joseph,
+the usurper thrust upon the Spanish throne by Napoleon, fled the
+city, ordering Soult and Suchet to come to his help. The former, then
+at Cadiz, where Sir Rowland Hill opposed him, destroyed his heavy
+cannon and marched to join Joseph, while Sir Rowland Hill at once
+proceeded to attach his force to that of Wellington. The latter then
+set out for Burgos, a most antique city, situated on the highroad to
+Bayonne, the French retreating steadily before him, looting churches
+and houses as they went. This movement of the invader towards his
+own frontier did not declare that he had given up the contest. On
+the contrary, General Souham, who had now taken over the command
+of the French in Spain, or did so on 3 October, was making every
+effort to collect a huge force to oppose us, and, although no serious
+opposition was offered to our march to Burgos, the clouds were
+gathering daily, and Wellington had reason to fear that, if he failed
+to capture this stronghold, he would be left to face overwhelming
+French odds or to retreat once more on his own base. And, as we
+have taken the liberty of anticipating events, let us say that, in
+spite of the utmost gallantry and the most dashing assaults, Burgos
+resisted, and Wellington who was unprepared for assault, since he
+had no adequate siege train with him, had to attack the defences.
+After no fewer than five assaults, a number of sallies by the gallant
+garrison, and thirty-three days investment, the siege was abandoned,
+some 2000 of our men having fallen, while the French had also lost
+heavily. Nor must we omit to mention the skill and undoubted valour
+of Colonel du Breton and his men, who here opposed us.
+
+Souham had now collected some 70,000 of all arms, and, therefore,
+retreat was urgent. That retreat became, indeed, almost a facsimile
+of the famous retreat of Sir John Moore, though it did not continue
+so long; for, in spite of every precaution, in spite of wrapping
+cannon wheels with straw to deaden the sound, the garrison of Burgos
+got wind of the beginning of the movement. Almost at once French
+columns were in pursuit, and from that day there were constant
+conflicts between our rearguard and the enemy. Passing by way of the
+River Tormes, on his route for the frontier of Portugal, Wellington
+crossed that river, leaving a thin brigade to hold the bridge at
+Alba--and a gallant brigade it proved. Pelted with cannon shot,
+unable to reply save with musketry, this brigade clung to the spot,
+arresting the pursuit of the enemy till their position was turned by
+French cavalry crossing the river elsewhere. Then came the passage
+of the Huebra, accompanied by constant fighting. But the skilful
+Wellington drew off his troops, though many a poor fellow was left
+dead or wounded, until at length the frontier of Portugal was
+reached, and with it winter quarters. Some 9000 men had been lost on
+the way, while baggage had for the most part fallen into the hands of
+the enemy.
+
+But let us realize that this was no defeat. There were some 90,000
+Frenchmen now swarming about our retreating column, for every
+available soldier had been brought up by Souham, who determined once
+and for all to check the designs of the British. And yet he failed.
+Wellington had reached security with the bulk of his forces. Thus
+ended the campaign for the year 1812, only to be resumed again in the
+spring of 1813, when our armies, still beneath the same conquering
+hand, were to advance north again, right up to the French frontier,
+and finally to enter France. Let us also contrast at this point the
+movements of Wellington's troops with those of Napoleon's men in
+other fields of conquest. Wellington began that memorable retreat
+from Burgos on the night of 21 October, 1812, and saw its completion
+within a few days of the crossing of the Huebra on 18 November. At
+the very same time Napoleon was also in retreat, that famous and
+fearful retrograde movement which laid the foundation of his final
+downfall. Reaching Moscow with his hosts on 14 September, he found
+the city deserted by its 250,000 inhabitants. His triumphal entry was
+disturbed by the outbreak of fire, and finally he was driven forth
+to face an Arctic Russian winter by the destruction of the city. He
+set his face homeward on 19 October. And later we find him hastening
+from a field that no longer attracted his attention, just as he had
+hastened out of Spain soon after the coming of the British. Entering
+Russia full of confidence, and with nearly a half-million of men, he
+bade farewell to those of his generals who still lived on 5 December,
+leaving behind him a shattered remnant, devoid of discipline,
+half-frozen and more than half-starved, a rabble still to suffer
+frightfully at the hands of the dashing Cossacks. Think of the untold
+misery. Think of the very many thousands of men, all in the flower of
+manhood, who perished in this Russian campaign. Then recollect that
+the overpowering ambition of this "Little Corporal," this commoner,
+this distinguished artillery officer, was chiefly responsible. France
+needed no larger territory. Honour and glory could have been won for
+her emperor and her people by this lost energy, this sad loss of
+young vigour, applied to her own internal affairs, to commerce and
+other matters. Instead, France wept at the loss of its young manhood
+and groaned beneath the burden of excessive war taxation, while the
+years which followed were to see the downfall of the empire which
+was then being created, the loss of all these provinces won by the
+sword at the price of the misery and death of thousands and thousands
+of innocent and would-be peaceful people. Napoleon may have been
+great--he was, admittedly, a military genius and a man of unsurpassed
+courage and ambition--but the thousands who went to their doom at his
+bidding, or who sent thousands of their fellows to their end because
+of his actions, bear a terrible testimony against him. His deathbed
+amidst those peaceful surroundings at St. Helena, high up over the
+smiling sea, was a glaring contrast to the deathbed of many and many
+a poor fellow who followed or opposed his fortunes.
+
+But let us turn from a subject such as this to the fortunes of as
+bright a lad as ever set foot on the Peninsula. We left Tom acting
+in a manner almost inexplicable. See him now, then, with that door
+shattered and burst wide open, and himself returned to the head of
+the stairs up which the rascals from below were rushing. And look at
+the two who were with him. One, a stout jovial man of medium height,
+and possessed of ruddy features which showed resolution and energy,
+stood at his side armed with a length of splintered woodwork. A
+second, taller perhaps, thin and cadaverous, and of sallow Spanish
+complexion, stood in rear gripping our hero's stiletto. Both were
+more or less in rags, and grimed with long confinement in a noisome
+prison. But in each case fearless eyes looked out through flashing
+glasses. And down below, coming upward helter-skelter, were a dozen
+rascals, one bearing a lantern, elbowing one another, firing their
+weapons haphazard, shouting at the three above them.
+
+"Silence!" Tom commanded at the pitch of his voice. "Silence for a
+moment. Now, lay down your arms and go back to your room. You are
+surrounded. You are prisoners. The man who dares to fire another
+weapon will be taken outside and shot instantly."
+
+Gaping faces looked up at him, and then into the eyes of their
+fellows. Two men at the bottom of the stairs turned to run. And then
+one of the leaders called upon them not to be cowards.
+
+"Surrounded!" he laughed. "He is fooling the lot of us. Hear him call
+upon us to surrender when we are on the point of chopping him to
+pieces. Up we go. In a trice we will have the lot of them strung by
+the necks from the windows."
+
+His pistol belched a charge of flame and shot in Tom's direction,
+and, missing our hero's head by a narrow margin, swept above the
+spectacles of his gallant father--for it was Septimus whom he had
+unearthed from the room behind him, and his uncle Juan also--causing
+that sedate, business gentleman to duck most violently. It completed
+its work by crashing into the ceiling and bringing down a yard of
+material which almost blinded Don Juan as it smashed into pieces.
+As for Tom, he leaned forward, took steady aim, and sent the rascal
+tumbling backward with a bullet through his body. He was after him,
+too, in an instant, beating at those below with the butt of his
+pistol, while Septimus ably backed up the attack, laying about him
+vigorously with his piece of splintered boarding. Men dived for their
+legs, hoping to bring them down in that way, but were met with blows
+which sent them heeling downward. Shots were fired by the ruffians,
+and were answered by the howls of the wretches hit by accident. Then
+a shout of consternation set the whole lot retreating.
+
+What was that? Tom stretched his ears to their longest and listened.
+Septimus produced a very red and somewhat soiled silk handkerchief
+and slowly mopped his streaming forehead. Juan took off his glasses,
+wiped them thoughtfully, and then gave vent to the expression: "Well,
+I never!"
+
+"Soldiers! British!" shouted Septimus, beginning to dance from one
+toe to the other, and presenting a somewhat ludicrous appearance.
+"Tom, I tell you those are British soldiers!"
+
+"No--Portuguese and Spanish. Listen, that's my adjutant, Ensign John
+Barwood."
+
+Up through the windows of the house came the curt commands of
+an officer, commands issued in a language neither Spanish nor
+Portuguese, but a species of patois made more hideous by the obvious
+English accent of the officer.
+
+"Recover arms! Ground arms! Split up by sections. Shoot any man who
+comes from the house and refuses to surrender. Andrews and Howeley
+take charge each of a section. Ensign Alfonso is at the rear and
+guards the place in that quarter."
+
+"Hooray!" bellowed Tom, racing down the stairs and to the window of
+his late prison. "Jack, ahoy! Pass a few files into the house for our
+protection. I've got the two we've been searching for. Pass the news
+to Alfonso. His father's here, safe and sound. And mind you, don't
+let one of those beggars escape. Seize or shoot them all. Search
+their clothing and send a couple of men at once to help me to search
+for papers."
+
+The minutes which passed after that were somewhat strenuous. Every
+exit from the house was guarded, and when a man dropped from one of
+the windows, and refused to halt at the command of one of Jack's
+parties, there came the snap of a musket, followed by a fusillade,
+for the first shot had missed the mark. A piercing shriek echoed
+through the yard, and when Tom craned his neck out of the window
+there was one of the rascals stretched still and stark on his face.
+
+By now the irregulars were pouring into the house, their bayonets
+fixed in readiness for trouble. They found the bulk of the
+conspirators crouching in their supper room amid the litter of
+bottles and glasses, while in their centre, looking still more woeful
+and downcast, was the fat man who had been injured. He was carried
+below after being searched, while the rest were mustered together,
+thoroughly searched, and then marched into the yard, where they were
+put under a guard. Then began a complete and thorough investigation
+of the premises. Documents and papers were dragged from hiding
+places, and as the night wore on towards early morning Tom was able,
+with the help of his friends, to unravel the whole mystery.
+
+"The same handwriting," he repeated on many an occasion, turning over
+some new document. "Plans of Badajoz as regarrisoned and defended by
+the British. Ditto of Ciudad Rodrigo, showing that these men have had
+agents in both places. Details here of Wellington's forces, with the
+exact number of guns, their calibre, &c."
+
+"And here the same of the French," sang out Alfonso, now an
+interested spectator. "Double-dealing individuals, evidently."
+
+"I'll eat my hat if that writing isn't the same as that found in the
+house where your father and uncle were living," suddenly interrupted
+Jack.
+
+"Right--I've seen that all along. It goes to prove that the
+ringleader all through who managed this gang also abducted those two.
+Who was he?"
+
+"That is a question beyond me," declared Septimus, leaning over his
+son's shoulder. "We never saw a leader. He was never referred to in
+our presence. We were suddenly set upon and bound and gagged. That
+same night we began the journey to Badajoz. Then came the siege, the
+assault, and our flight; that is to say, we were hustled away from
+the fortress. And here you are, Tom. 'Pon my word, how you do turn
+up!"
+
+"Like the usual bad penny," grinned Jack, whereat Tom made a slash at
+him with his own sword, which the young adjutant had placed upon the
+rickety table.
+
+"But," he said, "how does it happen that you fellows yourselves
+turned up just in the nick of time? Things were getting decidedly
+warm for us at the top of those stairs."
+
+"Warm!--Boiling!" gasped Septimus, mopping his forehead at the
+thought, while Don Juan took off his spectacles and rubbed them.
+
+"Beg pardon, sir, but there's officers ridden into the square,"
+reported Andrews in his stentorian tones, thrusting a head into the
+room. "They've called for the officer commanding."
+
+"That's you," declared Tom, pointing at Jack. "I'm still a muleteer;
+haven't rejoined yet."
+
+But the generous Jack wouldn't have that at all. He insisted on Tom's
+obeying the order.
+
+"This special job's ended," he said, "You've bagged that crowd, and
+mighty pleased Wellington'll be at the news. As for our arrival, why,
+your men acting as muleteers got to hear something after you had gone
+and sent along to me. I brought half a company into the city at once.
+Alfonso tumbled upon us almost as we were passing the yard, and--here
+we are, all aliv--o."
+
+It was a strange coincidence that Wellington should be the one on
+this occasion to turn up unexpectedly also, but at a moment which
+could only be called opportune. He and his staff had attended a ball
+given in honour of the arrival of the British, and there he was in
+the yard when Tom and his friends descended, tall and austere, his
+slim figure standing out in the moonlight.
+
+"You command this party!" he exclaimed in amazement, as a seeming
+muleteer drew himself to attention a few paces away and saluted.
+"You!"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+Ah! There was something familiar about the face and the figure. The
+voice reminded the general of a young officer he had often had in
+his thoughts.
+
+"Name?" he asked curtly.
+
+"Lieutenant Tom Clifford, sir, in disguise. I have to report that the
+mission on which you sent me has been successfully carried out. With
+the help of my comrades I have captured or killed every member of a
+gang dealing in military secrets. There is abundance of documentary
+evidence to convict them."
+
+"Ah, that is news! And their leader?"
+
+"Over there, sir," explained Jack, who stood at attention beside our
+hero.
+
+The whole party crossed the yard to the far corner, where lay the
+body of the man who had attempted to escape, and who had been shot
+down in the act. A torch was produced, and the light enabled them to
+see the features.
+
+"The prisoners have admitted that he was their leader," said Jack.
+
+It was José. Tom turned away with a feeling of sickness. After all,
+it was not pleasant to think that a cousin could have been such a
+rascal. There, in fact, was the end of all his scheming, all his
+meanness and jealousy.
+
+"You will report to-morrow at headquarters, Mr. Clifford. I offer you
+and your officers and men the heartiest thanks--good morning!"
+
+Wellington was gone. Tom watched the gilt of his epaulettes shining
+as he went through the archway; then he turned. Jack was standing
+stiffly at attention behind him. Septimus was rushing forward with
+outstretched hand.
+
+"Congratulations, sir," gasped the ensign.
+
+"To both of you," cried Septimus. "The chief of the staff gave me the
+news. Tom, you've been gazetted captain for that work at Salamanca,
+while Jack also gets a step, and Alfonso a mention. Now let's get to
+supper, or breakfast--which is it?"
+
+There is little more to tell of our friends. In the year which
+followed, that of 1813, they took the field again with Wellington,
+having meanwhile passed safely through the retreat from Burgos.
+Their corps saw service in the complicated battle of Vittoria, where
+the British were successful. Thence they helped at the capture of
+San Sebastian, while in October they actually marched into France,
+having driven the French from Spain altogether. The battle of Nivelle
+was then fought, Tom's men taking their part. The Nive was crossed
+after desperate skirmishing, and so the advance of the British force
+continued. Meanwhile, Napoleon's Russian disaster had set upon him a
+flood of enemies, all pressing for vengeance. To describe all that
+happened would need many a chapter; but in the end the power of
+Napoleon was shattered. He himself abdicated the throne of France,
+and was exiled to the island of Elba. Thence he escaped, and gathered
+the flower and manhood of France once more about him. But it was
+his fate to meet Wellington yet again. On the field of Waterloo
+that great general, with the help of the Germans, broke his army
+to pieces. A fugitive, Napoleon handed himself into the care of the
+British, and thenceforward was exiled in St. Helena, where, amid the
+cacti and the ferns, he died peacefully in the truckle bed which had
+followed him on his campaigns.
+
+For Jack and Tom we have something more to say. The former was
+a captain at the end of the Peninsula War; Tom a colonel, the
+youngest in the army. Minus one arm, he looked, if anything, rather
+more fetching in his uniform than formerly, for he served on the
+commander-in-chief's staff at home till he retired. Then Jack went
+also. Cast your eyes back at the house of Septimus John Clifford &
+Son. It's not so very long ago that the old head of the firm could
+be seen asleep beneath the shade of that mulberry tree. He was full
+of years and kindness. A white-haired clerk sat often beside him,
+a relic of the faithful lot who were there when Tom was a boy. And
+there were children about, Tom's, for he had left the service and
+married. Jack Barwood had married Marguerite, and he and his old
+friend met daily at the office, for they were partners, while Alfonso
+managed in Oporto.
+
+Thus our tale comes to an end. We take off our hats to Tom and his
+fellows. They helped to break down the menace which threatened
+England.
+
+
+PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
+
+_At the Villafield Press, Glasgow, Scotland_
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+Transcriber's Notes:
+
+Obvious typographical errors were repaired, but stylistic and valid
+archaic spellings were retained.
+
+All illustrations, except for frontispiece, were relocated to the
+text describing their action.
+
+Format coding includes =bold= and _italic_.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's With Wellington in Spain, by F. S. Brereton
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44055 ***