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