"This must be the letter which Sir Charles Meredith lost," said he.
"It was in the pocket of his coat."
"You have carried it for two days?"
"Since the night before last."
"And never looked at the contents?"
I showed him by my manner that he had committed an indiscretion in asking a question which one gentleman should not have put to another.
To my surprise he burst out into a roar of laughter.
"Colonel," said he, wiping the tears from his eyes, "you have really given both yourself and us a great deal of unnecessary trouble. Allow me to read the letter which you carried with you in your flight."
And this was what I heard:--
"On receipt of this you are directed to release Colonel Etienne Gerard, of the 3rd Hussars, who has been exchanged against Colonel Mason, of the Horse Artillery, now in Verdun."
And as he read it, he laughed again, and the warders laughed, and the two men from the cottage laughed, and then, as I heard this universal merriment, and thought of all my hopes and fears, and my struggles and dangers, what could a debonair soldier do but lean against the porch once more, and laugh as heartily as any of them? And of them all was it not I who had the best reason to laugh, since in front of me I could see my dear France, and my mother, and the Emperor, and my hors.e.m.e.n; while behind lay the gloomy prison, and the heavy hand of the English King?
5. HOW THE BRIGADIER TOOK THE FIELD AGAINST THE MARSHAL MILLEFLEURS
Ma.s.sena was a thin, sour little fellow, and after his hunting accident he had only one eye, but when it looked out from under his c.o.c.ked hat there was not much upon a field of battle which escaped it. He could stand in front of a battalion, and with a single sweep tell you if a buckle or a gaiter b.u.t.ton were out of place. Neither the officers nor the men were very fond of him, for he was, as you know, a miser, and soldiers love that their leaders should be free-handed. At the same time, when it came to work they had a very high respect for him, and they would rather fight under him than under anyone except the Emperor himself, and Lannes, when he was alive. After all, if he had a tight grasp upon his money-bags, there was a day also, you must remember, when that same grip was upon Zurich and Genoa. He clutched on to his positions as he did to his strong box, and it took a very clever man to loosen him from either.
When I received his summons I went gladly to his headquarters, for I was always a great favourite of his, and there was no officer of whom he thought more highly. That was the best of serving with those good old generals, that they knew enough to be able to pick out a fine soldier when they saw one. He was seated alone in his tent, with his chin upon his hand, and his brow as wrinkled as if he had been asked for a subscription. He smiled, however, when he saw me before him.
"Good day, Colonel Gerard."
"Good day, Marshal."
"How is the Third of Hussars?"
"Seven hundred incomparable men upon seven hundred excellent horses."
"And your wounds--are they healed?"
"My wounds never heal, Marshal," I answered.
"And why?"
"Because I have always new ones."
"General Rapp must look to his laurels," said he, his face all breaking into wrinkles as he laughed. "He has had twenty-one from the enemy"s bullets, and as many from Larrey"s knives and probes. Knowing that you were hurt, Colonel, I have spared you of late."
"Which hurt me most of all."
"Tut, tut! Since the English got behind these accursed lines of Torres Vedras, there has been little for us to do. You did not miss much during your imprisonment at Dartmoor. But now we are on the eve of action."
"We advance?"
"No, retire."
My face must have shown my dismay. What, retire before this sacred dog of a Wellington--he who had listened unmoved to my words, and had sent me to his land of fogs? I could have sobbed as I thought of it.
"What would you have?" cried Ma.s.sena impatiently. "When one is in check, it is necessary to move the king."
"Forwards," I suggested.
He shook his grizzled head.
"The lines are not to be forced," said he. "I have already lost General St. Croix and more men than I can replace. On the other hand, we have been here at Santarem for nearly six months. There is not a pound of flour nor a jug of wine on the countryside. We must retire."
"There are flour and wine in Lisbon," I persisted.
"Tut, you speak as if an army could charge in and charge out again like your regiment of hussars. If Soult were here with thirty thousand men--but he will not come. I sent for you, however, Colonel Gerard, to say that I have a very singular and important expedition which I intend to place under your direction."
I p.r.i.c.ked up my ears, as you can imagine. The Marshal unrolled a great map of the country and spread it upon the table. He flattened it out with his little, hairy hands.
"This is Santarem," he said pointing.
I nodded.
"And here, twenty-five miles to the east, is Almeixal, celebrated for its vintages and for its enormous Abbey."
Again I nodded; I could not think what was coming.
"Have you heard of the Marshal Millefleurs?" asked Ma.s.sena.
"I have served with all the Marshals," said I, "but there is none of that name."
"It is but the nickname which the soldiers have given him," said Ma.s.sena. "If you had not been away from us for some months, it would not be necessary for me to tell you about him. He is an Englishman, and a man of good breeding. It is on account of his manners that they have given him his t.i.tle. I wish you to go to this polite Englishman at Almeixal."
"Yes, Marshal."
"And to hang him to the nearest tree."
"Certainly, Marshal."
I turned briskly upon my heels, but Ma.s.sena recalled me before I could reach the opening of his tent.
"One moment, Colonel," said he; "you had best learn how matters stand before you start. You must know, then, that this Marshal Millefleurs, whose real name is Alexis Morgan, is a man of very great ingenuity and bravery. He was an officer in the English Guards, but having been broken for cheating at cards, he left the army. In some manner he gathered a number of English deserters round him and took to the mountains. French stragglers and Portuguese brigands joined him, and he found himself at the head of five hundred men. With these he took possession of the Abbey of Almeixal, sent the monks about their business, fortified the place, and gathered in the plunder of all the country round."
"For which it is high time he was hanged," said I, making once more for the door.