One of the 28th: A Tale of Waterloo

  CHAPTER XV.

  IN BELGIUM.

  There was a general feeling of depression in the regiment when it wasknown that the transports had arrived in harbor. As a rule regimentsembarking for service abroad start in high spirits, and whateverprivate regrets are felt at parting from friends, the troops marchgayly down to the point of embarkation. But this was not the case asthe Twenty-eighth with the band at its head playing "The girl I leftbehind me," passed through the streets of Cork on its march down tothe spot ten miles away where the transports were lying. There was notone from the colonel down to the youngest drummer-boy but felt that hehad been deprived of the chance of taking part in a stirring campaign,and that he was going into a sort of exile. The baggage had been senton the previous day, and the regiment on arriving at the harbor wasspeedily transferred in large lighters to the two transports.

  "They are two fine ships, anyhow," Captain O'Connor said to Ralph asthe barge carrying his company approached the side of one of them."Rather different craft to that in which we made our last voyagetogether. We shall have comfortable quarters on board her, and oughtto make a pleasant passage if we have but decent weather."

  "Yes, if anything could make our voyage pleasant under thecircumstances," Ralph replied dismally.

  "Oh, it's no use thinking any more about that," O'Connor saidcheerfully. "We must make the best of matters, and hope that we shallsoon be on our way back again; if not, I dare say we shall have apleasant time in Canada. With your knowledge of French, Conway, youwill make a great hit among the fair Canadians."

  "I didn't think of that," Ralph laughed. "Yes, the prospect is acheering one. I promise you, O'Connor, that I will do the best I canfor you. Well, here we are alongside."

  "Good afternoon, captain. When are we going to sail?" O'Connor askedthe master of the vessel as he stepped on deck.

  "You must ask the clerk of the weather," the skipper replied. "Atpresent there is not a breath of wind stirring, and from the look ofthe sky I see no chance of a change at present."

  Day after day passed, and still the vessels remained at anchor. Not abreath of wind stirred the water, and the troops had nothing to do butto lounge idly about the decks and whistle for a breeze. Whenever avessel came in from England boats were lowered and rowed alongside toget the latest news. This was little enough. It was, however, knownthat all the powers had determined to refuse to recognize Napoleon asEmperor of France, and that a great coalition against him was beingarranged. There were rumors that Belgium was likely to be the scene ofoperations.

  Already, by the terms of the late treaty, several English regimentswere stationed on the Belgian frontier, and three or four more werealready under orders to embark for that country. It was reported thatRussia, Austria, and Prussia were taking steps to arm. The militia hadbeen called out at home, and high bounties were offered for volunteersfrom these regiments into the line. Recruiting was going on vigorouslyall over the country. Horses were being bought up, and efforts made toplace the attenuated regiments on a war footing. All this wastantalizing news to the Twenty-eighth. The colonel was known to havewritten to influential friends in London, begging them to urge uponthe authorities the folly of allowing a fine regiment like his toleave the country at such a moment. But little was hoped from this,for at any moment a change in the weather might place them beyond thepossibility of a recall.

  Three weeks passed and then the barometer fell, and there were signsof a change. There was bustle and movement on board the ships, andeven the soldiers were glad that the monotony of their imprisonment onboard was about to come to an end, and their voyage to commence. Thesails were loosed from their gaskets, and the sounds of the drum andfifes struck up as the capstans were manned, the soldiers lending ahand at the bars, and the chains came clanking in at the hawse-holes.

  "There is a vessel coming in round the point," O'Connor said. "But weshall hardly get the last news; we shall be under way before sheanchors."

  "She is signaling to the fort on the hill," Ralph said, as he watchedthe flags run up on the signal-staff on the summit of Spike Island;"and they are answering down below there at the station in front ofthe commandant's house."

  A moment later a gun was fired.

  "That's to call our attention, I think," the skipper said, taking uphis glass and directing it to the shore. "Yes, there is our numberflying. Get the signal-book, boy. Mr. Smith, run up the answeringpennant."

  As soon as this ascended the flags on shore were lowered, and a freshset run up--3. 5. 0. 4.

  "Give me the book. 'The vessels are not to sail until furtherorders,'" he read aloud.

  "Hooray, lads!" Captain O'Connor shouted at the top of his voice. "Weare stopped until further orders."

  A loud cheer broke from the troops, which was echoed by a roar fromthe other vessel; and for a few minutes the greatest excitementreigned. The men threw their caps into the air, and shouted until theywere hoarse. The officers shook each other by the hand, and all werefrantic with delight at the narrow escape they had had.

  As soon as the brig had dropped anchor boats rowed off to her, butnothing further was learned. Just as she was leaving Plymouth anofficer had come on board with dispatches, and instructions to thecaptain to signal immediately he arrived at Cork that if theTwenty-eighth had not already sailed they were to be stopped. Owing tothe lightness of the wind the brig had been eight days on her passagefrom Plymouth.

  For another fortnight the regiment remained on board ship. Theimprisonment was borne more patiently, now they felt sure that theywere not at any rate to be sent across the Atlantic. Then a vesselarrived with orders that the Twenty-eighth were at once to proceed toOstend, and two hours afterward the transports set sail.

  Belgium was hardly the spot which the troops in general would haveapproved of as the scene of operations, for the disastrous expeditionto Walcheren was still fresh in mens' minds. They would, moreover,have preferred a campaign in which they would have fought withoutbeing compelled to act with a foreign army, and would have had all thehonor and glory to themselves. Still Belgium recalled the triumphs ofMarlborough, and although every mail brought news of the tremendousefforts Napoleon was making to reorganize the fighting power ofFrance, and of the manner in which the veterans of his former wars hadresponded to the call, there was not a doubt of success in the mindsof the Twenty-eighth, from the colonel down to the youngestdrummer-boy.

  Ralph was sorry that he had not been able to pay a flying visit to hismother before his departure on active and dangerous service.

  He had been somewhat puzzled by her letters ever since he had beenaway. They had been almost entirely devoted to his doings, and hadsaid very little about herself beyond the fact that she was inexcellent health. She had answered his questions as to his variousfriends and acquaintances in Dover; but these references had beenshort, and she had said nothing about the details of her daily life,the visits she paid, and the coming in of old friends to see her. Shehad evidently been staying a good deal, he thought, with the Withers,and she kept him fully informed about them, although she did notmention when she went there or when she had returned.

  She frequently spoke about the missing will, and of her hopes it wouldsome day be recovered; and had mentioned that the search for it wasstill being maintained, and that she felt confident that sooner orlater it would come to light. But even as to this she gave him nospecific details; and he felt that, even apart from his desire to seehis mother, he should greatly enjoy a long talk with her, to find outabout everything that had been going on during his absence.

  Mrs. Conway had indeed abstained from giving her son the slightestinkling of the work upon which she was engaged; for she was sure hewould be altogether opposed to her plan, and would be greatlydisturbed and grieved at the thought of her being in any menialposition. Whether if, when he returned, and she had not attained theobject of her search she would let him know what she was doing she hadnot decided; but she was determined that at any rate until he camehome on leave he should know nothing
about it.

  "So we are going to fight Bony at last, Mister Conway," Ralph'sservant said to him. "We've never had that luck before. He has alwayssent his generals against us, but, by jabbers, he will find that hehas not got Roosians and Proosians this time."

  "It will be hot work, Denis; for we shall have the best troops ofFrance against us, and Napoleon himself in command."

  "It's little we care for the French, your honor. Didn't we meet themin Spain and bate them? Sure, they are are hardly worth counting."

  "You will find them fight very much better now they have their emperorwith them. You know, Wellington had all his work to beat them."

  "Yes, but he did bate them, your honor."

  "That's true enough, Denis; but his troops now are old soldiers, mostof whom have been fighting for years, while a great part of our forcewill be no better than militia."

  "They won't fight any the worse for that, your honor," Denis saidconfidently. "We will bate them whenever we meet them. You see if wedon't."

  "We will try anyhow, Denis; and if all the regiments were as good asour own I should feel very sure about it. I wish, though, we weregoing to fight by ourselves; we know what we can do, but we do notknow how the Belgians and Dutch and Germans who will be with us can bedepended upon."

  "If I were the duke I wouldn't dipend on them at all, at all, yourhonor. I would just put them all in the rare, and lave our fellows todo the work. They are miserable, half-starved cratures all themforeigners, they tells me; and if a man is not fed, sure you can'texpect him to fight. I couldn't do it myself. And I hope the dukeain't going to put us on short rations, because it would be murtherentirely on the boys to make them fight with impty stomachs."

  "I fancy we shall be all right as to that, Denis. I expect that weshall wait quiet till the French attack us, and waiting quiet meansgetting plenty of food."

  "And dacent food, I hope, your honor; not the sort of thing they saythem foreigners lives on. Denis Mulligan could live on frogs andsnails as well as another, no doubt; but it would go sorely againstme, your honor."

  "I don't think there's much chance of your having to live on thatDenis. You will get rations there just the same as you did in Spain."

  "What! beef and mutton, your honor? I suppose they will bring themacross from England?"

  "They may bring some across, Denis; but I suppose they will be able tobuy plenty for the supply of the army out there."

  "What! have they got cattle and sheep there, your honor?" Denis askedincredulously.

  "Of course they have, Denis; just the same as we have."

  "The hathens!" Denis exclaimed. "To think that men who can get beefand mutton should feed upon such craturs as snails and such like. It'sdownright flying in the face of Providence, your honor."

  "Nonsense, Denis; they eat beef and mutton just the same as we do. Asto the frogs and snails, these are expensive luxuries, just as game iswith us. There is nothing more nasty about snails after all than thereis about oysters; and as to frogs they were regarded as great daintiesby the Romans, who certainly knew what good eating was."

  "Sure, I am a Roman myself, your honor--so are most of the men of theregiment--but I never heard tell of sich a thing."

  "Not that sort of Roman, Denis," Ralph laughed. "The oldRomans--people who lived long before there were any popes--a peoplewho could fight as well as any that ever lived, and who were as fondof good living as they were of fighting."

  "Well, your honor, there is no accounting for tastes. There wasBridget Maloney, whom I courted before I entered the regiment. Well,your honor, if you would believe it, she threw over a dacent boy likemyself, and married a little omadoun of a man about five feet high,and with one shoulder higher than the other. That was why I took tosoldiering, your honor. No, there is no accounting for tastes anyhow.There's the mess-bugle, your honor. Next time we hear it, it will beat say, and maybe there won't be many ready to attind to it."

  Denis' prediction was verified. The vessel sailed at two o'clock inthe afternoon, and by six was rolling heavily, and a brisk wind wasblowing. The Twenty-eighth had not long before made the voyage fromthe south of France, but they had been favored by exceptionally fineweather, and had experienced nothing like the tossing they were nowundergoing. The consequence was that only about half a dozen officersobeyed the bugle call to mess.

  There was a general feeling of satisfaction when the low coast roundOstend was sighted, for the voyage throughout had been a rough one.Under certain circumstances a sea voyage is delightful, butconfinement in a crowded transport in rough weather is the reverse ofa pleasant experience. The space below decks was too small toaccommodate the whole of the troops, and a third of their number hadto be constantly on deck; and this for a ten days' voyage in a heavysea, with occasional rain-showers, is not, under ordinarycircumstances, calculated to raise the spirits of troops. But menbound on active and dangerous service are always in the highestspirits, and make light of disagreeables and hardships of all kinds.

  They had expected to find Ostend full of troops, for several regimentshad landed before them; but they soon found they were to be marchedinland. As soon as the regiment had landed they marched to a spotwhere a standing camp had been erected for the use of troops on theirpassage through. Their baggage was at once sent forward, and the menhad therefore nothing to do but to clean up their arms andaccoutrements, and to wander as they pleased through the town. Theystarted early next morning, and after two days' marching arrived atGhent, where several regiments were quartered, either in the townitself or in the villages round it. Ralph's company had billetsallotted to them in a village a mile from the town, a cottage beingplaced at the disposal of the captain and his two subalterns. The nextmorning, after the parade of the regiment was over, most of theofficers and many of the men paid a visit to the town, where thefugitive King of France had now established his court.

  Ralph, who years before had read the history of Ghent, was greatlyinterested in the quaint old town; though it was difficult to imaginefrom the appearance of its quiet streets that its inhabitants had oncebeen the most turbulent in Europe. Here Von Artevelde was killed, andthe streets often ran with the blood of contending factions. Was itpossible that the fathers of these quiet workmen in blouses, armedwith axes and pikes, had defeated the chivalry of France, and all butannihilated the force of the Duke of Anjou? What a number of conventsthere were! The monks seemed a full third of the population, and itwas curious to hear everyone talking in French when the French werethe enemy they were going to meet. The populace were quite asinterested in their English visitors as the latter were with them. TheEnglish scarlet was altogether strange to them, and the dress of themen of the Highland regiment, who were encamped next to theTwenty-eighth, filled them with astonishment.

  For a fortnight the regiment remained at Ghent, then they with someothers of the same division marched to Brussels, and took up theirquarters in villages round the town. The Twenty-eighth belonged toPicton's division, which formed part of the reserve concentrated roundBrussels. The first army corps, consisting of the second and thirddivisions of Dutch and Belgians, and the first and third of theBritish, extended from Enghien on the right to Quatre Bras on theleft. The first British division were at the former town, the thirdbetween Soignies and Roeulx, while the Belgians and Dutch lay betweenNivelles and Quatre Bras.

  The second army corps held the ground on the right of the first, andextended to Oudenarde on the Scheldt. The cavalry, with the exceptionof the Brunswick brigade, were posted at Grammont, Mons, and Roeulx,their outposts being thrown forward as far as Maubeuge and Beaumont.The Prussians were on the left of Wellington's force, and extendedfrom Ligny through Namur toward Liege, their advanced posts being atCharleroi, where Zieten's division had their headquarters. Butalthough the allied armies thus formed together the arc of a largecircle covering Brussels, they were entirely distinct. The Britishdrew their supplies from Ostend, on the right of their position, whileLiege on the extreme left was the base of the Prussians.


  Napoleon's movements were uncertain. He might either advance uponNamur and cut off the Prussians from their base, or between Grammontand Oudenarde, by which measure he would similarly cut the British offfrom Ostend; or he might advance from Charleroi direct upon Brussels,breaking through at the point where Wellington's left joined thePrussian right. The Duke of Wellington believed that he would attemptthe second of these alternatives, as in that case he would fall uponthe British before the Prussians could come up to their assistance,and if successful would not only cut them off from the base ofsupplies, but would be able to march straight upon Brussels. It was todefeat this plan that the duke posted the largest proportion of hisBritish troops along the frontier, holding, however, two Britishdivisions and the Brunswick and Nassau troops in and round Brussels,where they were nearly equidistant from any point that could beattacked, and could be moved forward as soon as the enemy's intentionsbecame manifest.

  By the time that the whole of the forces were assembled Wellington hadninety thousand men under his orders; Blucher, the Prussian general,had one hundred and sixteen thousand; while Napoleon had one hundredand twenty-five thousand with which to encounter this vastly superiorforce. Upon the other hand, Napoleon's were all veteran troops, andthe French had for a long time been accustomed to victory over thePrussians. Of Wellington's force fully a half were of mixednationalities: Belgians, Dutch, Brunswickers, and Hessians; while hisBritish division consisted chiefly of young troops, so hastily raisedthat a great number of them absolutely fought at Waterloo in theuniforms of the militia regiments from which they had been drafted.

  It seemed, however, a well-nigh desperate enterprise for Napoleon toattack so greatly superior a force. But he had, in fact, no choice butto do so; for Russia and Austria were arming, and their forces wouldsoon be advancing upon France, and it was therefore necessary ifpossible to defeat the British and Prussians before they could arrive.Could he succeed in doing this the enthusiasm that would be excited inFrance would enable him vastly to increase his army. In the meantimehis confidence in his own military genius was unbounded, and thehistory of his past was contained many triumphs won undercircumstances far less favorable than the present.

  During the weeks that elapsed while the three great armies wereassembling and taking up their positions, the troops stationed roundBrussels had a pleasant time of it. The city itself was crowded withvisitors. Here were a number of the wives and friends of the officersof the various armies. Here were many of the French nobility, who hadabandoned France upon the landing of Napoleon. Here were numbers ofpeople attracted by curiosity, or the desire of being present at thetheater of great events, together with a crowd of simplepleasure-seekers; for Europe had for many years been closed toEnglishmen, and as soon as peace had been proclaimed great numbers hadcrossed the Channel to visit Paris, and had traveled in Germany,Italy, and Switzerland.

  The news of Napoleon's return to France had occasioned a great scareamong the tourists. A very few days sufficed for the desertion ofParis and other French towns, and so great was the crowd that thepacket-boats between Calais and Dover were insufficient to carry them.Many of the visitors to Paris instead of leaving for England made forBelgium, and were joined there by travelers hurrying back fromAustria, Germany, and other parts of Europe; for none could say whatcourse the events that would follow Napoleon's return from Elba mighttake. At Brussels, however, they felt safe; the distance to Englandwas short, and they could, if necessary, leave at any time. Beside,between Belgium and France twelve thousand British troops had beenstationed in the strong places, in accordance with the terms of thetreaty of Fontainebleau and an agreement made with her allies afterthe fall of Napoleon.

  The streets of Brussels were ablaze with bright colors. Staff-officersin the uniforms of a number of nationalities dashed through thestreets, followed by their orderlies. Now and then two or threegeneral officers, riding at a slower pace and engaged in earnest talk,passed along, while the pavements were occupied by crowds of men andofficers in all the varieties of British, Dutch, Belgian, Brunswick,Hanoverian, Hessian, and Prussian uniforms. Although Belgium had castin her lot with the allies the people were by no means unanimous intheir sympathies; and, indeed, the majority, from their similarityboth in religion and tongue to the French, sympathized with themrather than with the allies, who were for the most part bothProtestant and foreigners.

  Those who entertained these sentiments, however, kept them tothemselves, while the rest fraternized to the best of their power withthe troops, many of whom were quartered in the town. As foramusements, there were for the officers the theaters and an opera,while many of the ladies staying in Brussels kept almost open houses;races and athletic sports were got up for the men. The weather at thelatter end of May and during the early days of June was delightful;and although all knew that the storm might at any moment burst, it wasdifficult to believe while so enjoying themselves that to-morrow theymight be called upon to meet the enemy in deadly conflict. Even DenisMulligan had nothing to complain about in his rations, and allowed toRalph that the Belgians were much more decent people than he hadexpected to find them.

  The months of April and May had passed quietly on the frontier. Thecavalry of the allied army on one side, and the French mountedgendarmerie on the other, maintained a vigilant watch over eachothers' movements, and each endeavored to prevent the passing out ofpersons who might carry news of the intentions and position of theirarmies. But the line was far too long to be strictly watched, andFrench loyalists on the one side and Belgian sympathizers with Franceon the other, managed to pass with sufficient regularity to keep thegenerals informed of the movements of their opponents.

  Wellington, then, was perfectly aware of the gathering of Napoleon'sforces upon the other side of the frontier; but they, like his owntroops were scattered over a long front, and yet there was noindication whatever as to the point where Napoleon was likely to breakthrough. During the past three months large bodies of men had laboredto restore the ruined fortifications of the frontier towns. The moatshad been cleared out and deepened, the walls repaired, and the sluicesrestored, so that in case of necessity a wide tract of country couldbe laid under water.

  These precautions had been specially taken on the right of the Britishposition where Wellington expected Napoleon's attack, and the generalcalculated that with the aid of the obstacles so interposed toNapoleon's advance, the troops stationed there would be able to checkthe tide of invasion until the whole army arrived to their assistance.The country between Brussels and the frontier was reconnoitered, andengineer officers were employed in making sketches of all thepositions that appeared likely to offer special advantages asbattlefields for an army standing on the defense.

  Among others the fields lying in front of the village of Waterloo weremapped, and the spot was specially marked by the duke as one to beoccupied in case the enemy forced a way between the British andPrussian armies. On the 12th of June the Duke of Wellington learnedthat Napoleon and the guards had left Paris for the North, and thenext day the officer in command of the cavalry outposts reported thatthe pickets of French cavalry which had so long faced him haddisappeared, and that he had learned from some French custom-houseofficers that hostilities were about to commence.

  On the 15th of June, Ralph Conway had gone with Stapleton intoBrussels as usual. Everything was going on with its accustomedregularity. A military band was playing in the park. Numbers ofwell-appointed carriages, filled with well-dressed ladies, drove toand fro, and crowds of officers and civilians strolled under thetrees, greeting their acquaintances and discussing the latest gossipof the town. As to the coming of the French, the topic was sothreadbare that no one alluded to it; and no stranger could haveimagined from the aspect of the scene that three great armies werelying thirty or forty miles away in readiness to engage at any momentin a desperate struggle. The great subject of talk was the ball thatwas to be given that evening by the Duchess of Richmond; this wasexpected altogether to outshine any of the other festivities that hadta
ken place in Brussels during that gay season. It was about half-pastfour in the afternoon that the young men saw Captain O'Connorapproaching.

  "Can you young fellows keep a secret?" he asked.

  "I think so," Ralph laughed.

  "I suppose you are both going to the ball?"

  "Of course we are. We are both off duty, and Stapleton here is quiteabsorbed in the thought of the conquests he intends to make."

  "Well, the secret is this. It is quite probable you will not go to theball at all."

  "Why! How it that?" the young officers exclaimed simultaneously. "Isthe regiment ordered away?"

  "Not yet, lads; but it may be. I have just seen the colonel. He dinedwith the duke at three o'clock. There were a lot of officers there,and the Prince of Orange, who had just come in from the outposts forthe ball, told him that the Prussians at Thuin were attacked thismorning, and that a heavy cannonade was going on when he left. Orderswere issued half an hour ago for the whole of the troops to be inreadiness to march at a moment's notice. There's no saying yet whichway the French may come, and this attack upon the Prussians may beonly a feint; so not a soldier can be moved till more is known. Thefirst division is ordered to collect at Ath to-night, the third atBraine-le-Comte, and the fourth at Grammont. The fifth--that isours--with the Eighty-first and the Hanoverian brigade, and the sixthdivision, of course collect here. All are to be in readiness to marchat a moment's notice. The Prince of Orange is to gather the second andthird Dutch divisions at Nivelles. Of course this first skirmish mayonly be intended to feel our force and positions; but at any rate, itis a sign that the game is going to begin."

  "But if the orders are issued, and the troops are to collect to-night,the secret cannot be kept long."

  "No; by this time the divisional orders will be published, andeveryone will know it in an hour or two. There is really no secretabout it, lads. If there had been the colonel wouldn't have told me,and I shouldn't have told you. See, the news is circulating already."

  A change was indeed taking place in the position of the scene. Theloungers were gathering in little groups, talking eagerly andexcitedly. The orders for the concentration of the divisions hadbecome known, though as yet all were in ignorance as to the reason fortheir issue. The three officers joined some of the groups and listenedto the talk. The general idea was that the duke had heard that theFrench were gathering for an attack, and these measures were merelyprecautionary. It might be days yet before the affair really began.Still it was important news; and there were pale faces among theladies at this sudden reminder that the assembly at Brussels was not amere holiday gathering, but that war, grim, earnest, and terrible, wasimpending.

  "We had better be getting back to our quarters," Captain O'Connorsaid. "Everything will have to be packed up this evening."

  "But does this mean that the troops are to be under arms all night?"Stapleton asked.

  "That it does, Stapleton. Of course they won't be kept standing inline; but when troops are ordered to be in readiness to march at amoment's notice, on such a business as this, it means that they willall be assembled. Then probably they will be allowed to lie down, andperhaps will light bivouac fires. But it means business, I can tellyou."

  "Then I for one shan't go to the ball," Ralph said. "No doubt it willbe a pretty sight; but there have been lots of balls, and this bivouacwill be a new experience altogether."

  "I don't know that you are wrong, Conway," Captain O'Connor said."Beside, you will probably find the colonel will issue orders thatonly a certain number of officers may go. I shall look in for an houror two just to see the scene. But I don't know many people, and with aroom full of generals and colonels, and three or four men to eachlady, there won't be much chance of getting partners."

  When they reached the village Stapleton said good-by to them, as hiscompany lay half a mile further on; and Captain O'Connor and Ralphentered their quarters. They found their servants busy packing up thebaggage.

  "What is this all about, O'Connor?" Lieutenant Desmond asked.

  "It is in orders that the whole division is to assemble to-night inreadiness to march at a moment's notice. News has come that the Frenchhave attacked the Prussian outposts, and the duke is not to be caughtnapping. Of course it may be nothing but an outpost skirmish; still itmay be the beginning of operations on a grand scale."

  "And there is an order," Desmond said dolefully, "that only oneofficer in each company is to go to the ball."

  "You want to go--eh, Desmond?"

  "Well, of course I should like to go, and so would everyone I suppose,however, it can't be helped; for of course you will go yourself."

  "Well, I have made up my mind to look in for an hour or two. Conwaydoesn't wish to go. I'll tell you how we will arrange, Desmond. Whatthe order means is that two officers must stop with their company. Itdoesn't matter in the least who they are; so that there are two out ofthe three with the men. Dancing will begin about eight o'clock. I willlook in there at nine. An hour will be enough for me; so I will comeback to the company, and you can slip away and stop there till it'sover."

  "Thank you very much," Desmond said gratefully.

  "And look here, Desmond. You had better arrange with your man to leaveyour undress uniform out; so that when you get back from the ball youcan slip into it and have the other packed up. That's what I am goingto do. I can't afford to have my best uniform spoiled by having tosleep in it in the mud. A captain's pay doesn't run to suchextravagance as that."

  "What will be done with the baggage if we have to march?"

  "Oh, I don't suppose we shall march to-night. But if we do, thequartermaster will detail a party to collect all the baggage leftbehind and put it in store. We needn't bother about that; especiallywhen, for aught we know, we may never come back to claim it."

  But although O'Connor did not know it, the duke had by this timereceived news indicating that the attack upon the Prussian outpost wasthe beginning of a great movement, and that the whole French army werepressing forward by the road where the Prussian and British armyjoined hands.

  At daybreak the French had advanced in three columns--the right uponChatelet, five miles below Charleroi, on the Sambre; the center onCharleroi itself; the left on Marchienne. Zieten, who was in commandof the Prussian corps d'armee, defended the bridges at these threepoints stoutly, and then contested every foot of the ground, hiscavalry making frequent charges; so that at the end of the day theFrench had only advanced five miles. This stout resistance enabledBlucher to bring up two out of his other three corps, Bulow, whosecorps was at Liege, forty miles away, receiving his orders too late tomarch that day. The rest of the Prussian army concentrated round thevillages of Fleurs and Ligny.

  Accordingly at ten o'clock in the evening orders were issued byWellington for the third division to march at once fromBraine-le-Comte to Nivelles, for the first to move from Enghien toBraine-le-Comte, and for the second and fourth divisions to march fromAth and Grammont on Enghien. No fresh orders were issued to the troopsround Brussels; and although it was known at the ball that the troopswere in readiness to march at a moment's notice, there were noneexcept the generals and a few members of the staff who had an ideathat the moment was so near at hand. The regiments stationed at adistance from Brussels were assembled in the park by ten o'clock inthe evening; then arms were piled, and the men permitted to fall out.

  Only a few lighted fires, for the night was warm. The artillery,however, who had all along been bivouacked in the park, had theirfires going as usual, and round these many of the troops gathered, butthe greater part wrapped themselves in their cloaks and went quietlyto sleep. Ralph strolled about for an hour or two, chatting with otherofficers and looking at the groups of sleepers, and listening to thetalk of the soldiers gathered round the fires. Among them were manyold Peninsular men, whose experience now rendered them authoritiesamong the younger soldiers, who listened eagerly to the details of thedesperate struggle at Albuera, the terrible storming of thefortresses, and lighter tales of life and
adventure in Spain. Many ofthe men whose quarters lay near the scene of assembly had beenpermitted to return to them, with strict orders to be ready to jointhe ranks should the bugle sound.