CHAPTER VIII
Tom changes Quarters
Heavy drops of thunder rain, pattering upon the roof above and uponthe stone flags that surrounded the front of the church, awakenedTom Clifford at early dawn on the morning after he had led theFrench troopers to their defensive post. Not that the rumblingthunder outside nor the patter of the raindrops awakened him to asense of his position. For our hero had been sunk in a deep sleep,which nothing had disturbed up till this moment. Now, however, thedisturbance gave rise in his half-slumbering brain to a train ofthought which was half-delicious, half the reverse. For Tom was backagain 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 beneaththe hospitable and safe roof of Septimus John Clifford & Son, WineMerchants, with Marguerite as his chum and close attendant, withthe ever-faithful Huggins, his father's senior clerk, to smileindulgently upon him, and Septimus John Clifford himself to praisehis efforts to acquire Portuguese and Spanish and French.
"Heigho!" he yawned loudly, stretching his arms wide apart. "Beastlystuff this Portuguese and French and Spanish," he babbled, stillhalf-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 olivecomplexion, whose thin limbs writhed and twisted incongruously,whose fingers twitched and plucked at moving lips, and whose veryappearance bespoke indecision, a wavering courage, meanness, and allthat that implies. It was Jose, Tom's cousin, and his image drew agrowl from our hero.
"Always interfering and getting in the way," he grunted peevishly. "Ihave 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 Tomdreamed the scenes through which he had passed. His seizure by thoserascals, his impressment, and what had followed. Then a second figurethrust itself into the arena, and swept across his sluggish brain.It was that of a short man, of middle age, prone to stoutness; cleanshaven, with features which attracted because of the obvious powerthey displayed, features set off by a pair of wonderfully steadyand penetrating eyes that spoke of firmness of purpose, of ambitionsoaring to the heights, and--yes--of a relentless spirit which stroveat the attainment of any and every object at whatever cost. It wasNapoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte, the one-time Corporal, the LittleCorsican, he who had attained to the throne of France, and now,spurred on by a restless ambition, sought to see himself emperor ofall countries, ruler of Spain through his brother, now known as KingJoseph, King of Portugal, and even the Lord of England. A crashingdetonation brought Tom to his feet with a start, wide-eyed, and verymuch awake.
"What's that?" he demanded, scarcely able to believe even now that hehad been dreaming. Still, the presence of the trooper standing sentryat 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 dayyet, and the storm will clear the air. It gets light rapidly, and ina little while we shall be able to see the pigs who have attacked us."
But Tom was thinking of something else beside the Portuguese peasantswho sought to kill the little band of troopers, together with himselfand his English companions. His thoughts suddenly turned to theurgent need of supplies. Water was wanted; it was running to wasteoutside.
"Andrews!" he shouted, and at the order the stalwart riflemanstumbled forward, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Howeley beingclose behind him. In the dim light of the coming day they drewthemselves erect as if by force of habit, and saluted, Howeleytaking time by his comrade.
"Sir!" they answered in one voice.
"We want water. Hunt round to find some roof gutter and a tub, ifthere is such a thing. Get us a store somehow; it means life or deathto us. I'll see to other matters."
He saw the two set off at once, and then clambered up the steepflight of stone steps that led to the ledge above the broken doorof the church. Standing upright there, he looked out towards thevillage, and found that he could already see the nearer houses. Buta mist was rising, which, together with the heavy rain that wasfalling, made seeing rather difficult. Then, turning sharply to theleft, he entered the room which the trooper had reported on theprevious evening. The man lay at the entrance, with a comrade besidehim, 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, "butmonsieur can see now that this is not only a church. There is a largebuilding 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 yourcarbine and come with me. It is already light enough to see where weare going."
Crossing the floor of the room, Tom found it lumbered with masses ofstone and with builders' tools. It was clear, in fact, that some sortof work was in progress. There was an arched doorway at the far endthat gave admission to a hall, or meeting place, from which steps ledto rooms above, all scantily furnished.
"The pastor's house without a doubt," said Tom. "Next thing is to seewhat's underneath. A larder crammed with food would be more to myliking 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 foundthemselves in a flagged passage. Doors opened upon it, and, pushingthem 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 thatset the Gallic warrior smiling widely. "It's clear that the pastorhas gone away while workmen have possession of the house. But--myuncle!--that's a larder, and here's the kitchen."
No one but those who have experienced it know the delight a soldieron service finds in the discovery of dainties. Rations are apt topall after a while, and men long for the trifles which are commonlyto be found upon the tables of those who lead a more peacefulexistence. And here was a find. The careful housewife of the pastor,his housekeeper, or whoever saw to his material wants, had set by astore at the sight of which Tom's mouth watered.
"My uncle!" he exclaimed again, running his eye along a row ofpreserves neatly bottled, and surveying a dozen hams hanging to hooksin a ceiling beam. "But--" and at the word his jovial face felland lengthened till it was like a fiddle. "But they ain't ours totake--eh?"
The trooper grinned widely. He was an old soldier, and though he mayhave had his scruples, a limited diet for the past few weeks, and agnawing at his stomach now, swept all scruples aside.
"Monsieur then prefers to starve with plenty beneath his nose?" heasked politely, drawing himself up and shouldering his carbine, sothat the muzzle struck the low ceiling violently. "_Parbleu!_ Thereis reason why we should eat these good things, monsieur. But for thepigs who hem us in, and for their hatred of us, we could step outsideand buy what is required. That is so, monsieur?"
"Exactly," came the crisp answer, while Tom still surveyed the goodthings hungrily.
"But we cannot set out for the market. These pigs send bullets at usinstead of food. That being so, _vraiment, monsieur_, surely herecomes in a law of nature. To live one must eat. Here, then, is thewherewithal to obey that law."
The rascal grounded his weapon with a resonant bang, and put his nosewithin 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 itshook, caught up a bag of dried biscuit, and then gave an inquisitivekick to a huge barrel, getting back a dull, telling sound.
"Full to the bung, _monsieur_--the wine of the country. Somethingwith which to slake our thir
st, and so enable us to defeat the enemy."
"Send for two of the troopers at once," said Tom. "Let them removethe contents of the larder to the room above. But, wait. Let uscomplete our investigations."
When they had at length been over the whole of the premises they hadcome to the conclusion that the house had at one time been a clergyhouse, and had harboured many people; for at the far end of thepassage they found a door admitting to still more rooms, and thento an enormous yard, about which was a high wall. A pair of hugedoors led from this beneath an archway, supporting a portion of whatproved to be stables, in which were a couple of nags, while the eagertrooper discovered stores of hay and corn in a loft adjoining.
"And a water trough and pump in the yard," cried Tom, delighted atsuch a find. "There you are, water in plenty," he added, working thepump 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 thedefenders 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 soclosely adjacent. It was characteristic of Tom, perhaps, that beforethe trooper had time to ask the question, he had come to a decision.
"Listen," he said peremptorily. "The windows of this place all faceinto the yard. You saw no others?"
"None: it is as monsieur describes."
"And the wall outside the place, surrounding the yard, is so highthat a man must use a ladder to ascend and descend."
"_Vraiment, monsieur_; otherwise he would be crushed as if he were anegg."
"Then we change quarters. Leave the ham and come along. Wait,though--get the key of the doors leading into the yard. See if youcan 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, wasin readiness for us. It is clear that the Portuguese expected ourcoming, 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 onto the floor of the church. A glance outside told him that rain wasstill falling, while an occasional clap of thunder warned him thatthe storm was still at hand. But there were figures over by thevillage; half a dozen men stood in a bunch, and the light was now sostrong 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 halftheir number to fetch the horses. The others he again divided,posting three men above the doorway, four behind the carcass of thehorse, while the rest were told off to carry Mr. Riley and Jack. Veryrapidly 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 anddirect to the left. Turn sharp to the left again at the end ofa wall and you will come to a doorway; lead them in there. Now,hasten. Those fellows beyond there are merely waiting for the rain tocease. We shall be in clover, and eating a substantial breakfast, mylads--yes, for I have discovered a store of provisions--before theenemy guess what is happening."
Soldiers are not the class of individuals to be upset by surprise. Aconstantly changing life such as a campaign brings accustoms them toquick and unexpected changes. Moreover, here they had confidence inthe young Englishman who had so suddenly taken command of the party.There was, therefore, not so much as a question. In less than fiveminutes all were ready, while Mr. Riley was by then halfway up thesteep flight of steps leading to the house. Andrews stood beside thecarcass of the horse, the perspiration streaming from him; for he hadraced 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 deadanimal. The troopers threw themselves upon the carcass at once, andin a trice it had been dragged aside.
"Now out with them 'ere horses," commanded Andrews hoarsely. "Begpardon, sir, but I don't know what you're up to. This is certainthough: 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 asmile.
"Ham! Bust me----!" began the rifleman.
"And preserves. Perhaps the wine of Portugal wouldn't be good enoughfor you, though. There's at least one barrel of it where we're going."
Andrews' eyes shone with expectation. He moistened his lips with thetip of his tongue. "Food and drink, sir," he gasped, as if the newswere too good. "Plenty of it, too. Why--bust me!----"
He could get no further than that expression; it conveyed his wholemeaning. But the eyes which looked Tom Clifford up and down aninstant 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 thislittle lot by the hand as you might say, and shepherds them. Whenthere's trouble with the peasants, he sets about and gives 'em propersnuff. And when things is getting queer, and grub's scare, and waterrun 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 havedone better!"
Two by two the horses went clattering down the steps of the churchand 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 beingfired; but still the procession of horses came from the church. Whenall were out, there were, perhaps, fifty of the enemy watching andfiring, 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 alldirections, as if to warn outlying parties to close in and surroundthe troopers. Perched now on the ledge over the doorway, Tom watchedas the horses were led along beside the wall, and saw them swinground the corner. He waited three minutes, when a trooper camedashing to him through the room which was littered with masons' toolsand 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 thatit 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 efhe was aboard his own ship, sir," reported Howeley, arriving on thescene 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; takecharge of it, Howeley. I make you responsible for all it contains;but carry something to the two officers promptly. Now, Andrews," hesaid, as that worthy came towards him, "let's clear the church of allour 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 everyfeature. "I thought as you'd enough and too much to see to, and so Igive 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 tooinquisitive."
"Then we'll get to breakfast," said Tom heartily. "You've recalledthe 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 forthe trouble that's brewing. Those peasants don't seem yet to havegathered what we are up to. But, in a little while, when they haveguessed 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 inthe doorway of
the larder with some fine slices of ham and a jug ofwine, while a second plate was loaded with biscuit. "There's a storehere, sir, as would make the whiskers of a commissariat serjeantcurl, sir--so it would! There's ham, biscuit, jam, cheese, flour, andwhat not. This here ruction's put us into clover."
It took perhaps half an hour for Tom's party to settle down in theirnew quarters; because, first of all, there were the wounded officersand the horses to attend to. For the former Howeley had already doneservice, so that when Tom, relieved of all immediate anxiety, wentupstairs to them, he found his two comrades stretched on a pairof comfortable beds, the naval lieutenant brimming over with goodhumour, and Jack just swallowing his anger at the sight of the foodwhich 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, thickslice of ham. "Here am I, crocked up because of a bullet firedby some peasant fool from a blunderbus, and you, Tom, having allthe fun. It's wretched luck; everything's wrong. Why, there's noteven----"
What his next grumble would have been it is difficult to imagine, butMr. Riley cut him short with loud laughter.
"Everything's wrong, Tom, my lad," he laughed heartily, holding up aslice of ham as big as that held by Jack. "Here we are, stretched onwretchedly comfortable beds, when we ought to be lying on stone flagswhich are really helpful when a man wishes to sleep. And we've grubtoo--grub, when we ought to be without rations. But the most seriouspart of the whole affair is that while we've really quite decentham to eat, fair wine to drink, and hard biscuit to chew, we've nomustard to go with the ham. I protest, sir! It's a real hardship."
That set them all laughing, till the gallant lieutenant choked andbecame 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, hisjaws moving from side to side as he strove to prevent himself fromjoining in the merriment.
"Well, I'm hanged!" was all that Jack could at length deliver himselfof. "This is clover! Have some, Tom?"
They made a merry meal there, our hero seated on the edge of Jack'sbed; and much they enjoyed the fare which good fortune had provided.Howeley, meanwhile, with Andrews and the rest of the men werediscussing an equally satisfying meal, the first-named having, atTom's wish, taken over the supply department. Horses had by then beenwatered, and were now tied to rings ranged along the wall of theyard, munching contentedly at heaps of hay placed at their heads forthem.
"_Sapristi!_ But I never saw the like before," ventured one grizzledtrooper, taking to his pipe when he had finished his own meal, andlevelling his remarks at Andrews. "Never before!"
"Right!" ejaculated Andrews. "_Tres bien!_" for he had picked up anodd 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. Weare hemmed in by a thousand wild beasts; our captain is killed; ourserjeants are biting the dust. We ourselves are like lost sheep.And he, this youth, he leads us to the church, where there isnothing--nothing, mark you, comrade, but stone walls and floors.Now look at us! We live in luxury. The horses are content. Thisyouth laughs with his comrades as if a Portuguese cut-throat did notexist, and as if the British army was within hearing. He is a secondBonaparte."
It was praise of our hero, coming from the lips of a Frenchman, andAndrews endorsed the remarks with vehemence. Not that he understoodwhat was said. He gathered merely that compliments were flying withregard 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 Britishto the backbone, from the soles of his feet right up to the crown ofhis 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 warnedenemies of the riflemen before then; and the Frenchman, with thequickness and perception of his race, must have followed closely, forhe jerked himself nearer the rifleman in his enthusiasm, gripped himby both hands, and would have embraced him, had not Andrews, withtrue British dislike of a scene of such a description, put him firmlyaside.
"None o' yer monkey tricks fer me," he called out. "But I'm with youall the while. Here's my hand on it."
At that moment a loud report aroused the garrison. Tom appeared atthe entrance to the courtyard, and at once, as if by agreement, thetroopers formed line, and drew themselves up as if for an inspection.Tom emerged into the courtyard at once--for the rain had ceased nowfor some while--and slowly inspected his men.
"We've had a good breakfast," he said, with a smile which went farto put heart into the troopers. "Now we've to work for the nextmeal. The peasants are approaching. We must get to our stations; andremember, please, fire as seldom as possible. This siege may last aweek yet, so ammunition is most important. An hour ago water and foodwere most in request; you have both now. Then look carefully afterthe only other commodity that matters."
They broke their ranks at once, and went to their stations, foreach had been allotted one. Two men stood guard on the ledge abovethe doorway of the church, crouching so that those below could notsee them. The room behind contained half a dozen more figures, withAndrews to command them. Elsewhere, in the room over the doorwayleading into the courtyard were Howeley and three men, while theremainder watched from the upper windows which faced the yard, readyat a call to go in either direction.
As for the enemy, they appeared in swarms, tramping from thevillage, armed with every sort of weapon. Crouching on the ledgeabove the church door Tom watched their approach with some amount ofcuriosity, wondering what they would do, and whether they suspectedthe change which had taken place so early in the morning. Then henoticed a dozen men detach themselves from the mob, and move outbefore them. They halted when some fifty paces from their friends andlaid down their weapons. Then they advanced again till within easyspeaking distance of the church door. Tom at once rose to his fullheight, the sight of his figure drawing shouts from the mob in thebackground. Then there was silence.
"We come as a deputation," said one of the little band who hadadvanced. "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 thepeasants again make you an offer. You are free to leave the placewith your four English comrades. An escort will be allowed, andyou will be taken to the nearest camp. You may carry arms and yourpersonal possessions. Refuse, and you shall be slaughtered with thehated Frenchmen whom we are sworn to kill."
"Then take my answer," called Tom loudly. "Two of my comrades arehurt, and cannot move, so that we could not accept your terms. Evenso, we would refuse. Now take warning from me again. We have shownyou that we can fight, and we are all the more ready for trouble nowthat day has come and we have slept. Go to the nearest camp and sendtroops to us. The Frenchmen shall then become prisoners. Those arethe only terms we will agree to."
"Then you will not take freedom and safety for yourself?" asked thespokesman.
"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 ofthe church. You are a bigger fool than I thought you."
He turned about with his fellows and retreated. They picked up theirarms and joined their comrades, when a loud discussion followed. Thenonce more the forward move was continued, Tom and his men watching asa mob five hundred strong bore down upon the building.
"I see ladders amongst them," said Andrews of a sudden, peering overour hero's shoulder. "That looks as if they would attempt to climbthe wall of the yard. Then they guess where we've got to."
The next few minutes showed that the enemy were fully alive to thesituation. They steered away from the door of the church, a few onthe flank
alone advancing toward it. The remainder surrounded theyard 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 tothe wall without difficulty, while a chosen band made an onslaughtupon the doors which gave entrance.