CHAPTER XIV.
INVALIDED HOME.
Two days after the battle of Albuera, Lord Wellington himself arrived,and from the officers of his staff Tom heard the details of the battleof Fuentes d'Onoro, which had been fought a few days previously, andwhich had been nearly as hardly contested as had Albuera itself, bothsides claiming the victory.
The next day, the bulk of Beresford's army returned to theneighborhood of Badajos, which they again invested, while a longconvoy of wounded started for Lisbon. The Scudamores accompanied itas far as Campo Major, where a large hospital had been prepared forthose too ill to bear the journey. Peter was still unconscious. Feverhad set in upon the day after the battle, and for three weeks he laybetween life and death. Tom's arm was mending very slowly, and hewould have had hard work indeed in nursing Peter had it not been forthe arrival of unexpected assistance. A large villa had been takenclose to the main hospital for the use of officers, and one of therooms was allotted to the Scudamores.
Upon the evening of the second day after their arrival, Tom wassitting by Peter's bedside, when, after a preliminary tap, the dooropened, and to Tom's perfect amazement Sambo entered. The negrohurried forward, threw himself on his knees, seized Tom's hand andkissed it passionately, and then looking at the thin and fever-flushedface of Peter, he hid his face in his hands and sobbed unrestrainedly.
"Hush, Sam, hush," Tom said soothingly. "My poor fellow, why, wherehave you come from? I thought you were a prisoner with the French."
"I knew how it would be, Massa Tom," the black said, paying noattention to the questions. "First thing Sam said to himself when hegot among French fellows, 'Dere, dose young gentlemen dey get intoall sorts of danger widout Sam, sartin sure dey get hurt widout Samto look after dem.' Dat idea troubled Sam berry much, took away Sam'ssleep altogether."
"Well it turned out so, as you see, Sam," Tom said with a smile, "buttell me how did you get away? But first give me some lemonade out ofthat jug, then you can tell me all about it."
"Why, Massa Tom," Sam said, when he had complied with the request,"you didn't think dat dis chile was going to stop prisoner with doseFrench chaps; Sam not such a fool as dat, nohow. When dat cussedmule--I tell you fair, Massa Tom, dis chile conclude dat riding notsuch a berry easy ting after all--when dat cussed mule ran into Frenchcamp, de soldiers dey catch him, and dey take Sam off, and den deyjabber and laugh for all de world like great lots of monkeys. Well,for some time Sam he didn't say nothing, all de wind shook out of hisbody. Besides which he couldn't understand what dey say. Den all ofa sudden, to Sam's surprise, up came a colored soldier, and he speakto Sam in de English tongue. 'Holla, broder, how you come here?" Iask. 'I been cook on board English merchant ship,' he say. 'Ship shetaken by French privateer. When dey come to port dey say to me, "Younot Englishman, you hab choice, you go to prison, or you be Frenchsoldier." Natural, I not want go prison, so I conclude be Frenchsoldier. I daresay dey gib you choice too.' Well, massa, a wink asgood as a nod to blind hoss. So dey take me to tent, put me underguard, and next day a French officer come dat speak English. He askme all sorts ob questions, and at last he ask me why I list Englishsoldier. So you see I had got a little lie all ready, and me tell him,me one poor Melican negro man, cook on board Melican ship. Ship takenby English man-ob-war. Put Sam in prison and give him choice to go assoldier. "Den you not care about English,' de officer say, and Samdraw hisself up and pat his chest and say, 'Me Melican citizen, me noBritisher's slave, some day me go back States, go on board Melicanman-ob-war, me pay out dese Britishers for make Sam slave.' Den deofficer laugh, and say dat if I like I could fight dem now; and if Iprefer French uniform to French prison, me could have him. Ob courseI accep' offer, and harp an hour after me in French uniform. Frenchofficer try to make joke ob Sam, and ask whether I like cavalry orfoot soldier. Sam say he had enuff of quadruples at present. Me remainFrench soldier three weeks, den cum great battle, dey call him Fuentesdonory. Sam's regiment fight. Sam not like fire at red coats, so breakbullet off catridge, neber put him in gun. We charge right into middleof village full of English soldiers, de bullets fly all about. Sam notsee de point ob getting kill by mistake, so he tumble down, pretend tobe dead. Presently French beaten back; when English soldier wid doctorcum look at wounded, dey turn Sam ober, and dey say, 'Hullo, here deadnigger.' 'Nigger yourself, John Atkins,' I say for sure enuff it's deole regiment--'you say dat once again me knock your head off;' me jumpup, and all de world call out, 'Hullo, why it's Sam.' Den me splainmatter, and all berry glad, cept John Atkins, and next morning me gibhim licking he member all his life, me pound him most to a squash.Four days ago colonel send for Sam, say, 'Sam, berry bad job, bofeMassas wounded bad, send you to nurse dem;' so dis chile come. Datall, Massa Tom. Here letter for you from colonel, now you read disletter, den you get in bed, you sleep all night, Sam watch MassaPeter."
Greatly relieved to have his faithful servant again, and to know thatPeter would be well cared for, instead of being left in charge of theSpanish hospital orderly, whenever weakness and pain obliged him tolie down, Tom abandoned his place by the bedside, and prepared for atranquil night's rest, first reading the colonel's letter.
"We are all grieved, my dear Scudamore, at hearing that you are bothwounded, and that your brother is at present in a serious state. Wetrust, however, that he will pull through. I hear that Beresford haspraised you both most highly in despatches, and that your names aresent home for companies. I heartily congratulate you. We have had sometough work at Fuentes d'Onoro, although nothing to what yours musthave been at Albuera, still it was hot enough in all conscience, andwe had over a hundred casualties in the regiment. Carruthers andManley were both slightly wounded. Jones, Anstruther, Palmer, andChambers were killed, and several of the others hit more or less hard.Sam has leave to remain with you until you rejoin, which will not, Ifear, be for some little time. Every one sends kind messages. Yourstruly, J. Tritton."
Nothing could exceed the care and devotion with which Sam nursed histwo masters, and Tom had the greatest difficulty in persuading him tolie down and get a short sleep each day while he sat by Peter's bed.At the end of three weeks Peter took a favorable turn. His feverabated, and he awoke to consciousness. Another fortnight and he wassufficiently convalescent to be moved, and accordingly they started totravel by very easy stages to Lisbon, there to take ship for England,as the doctor ordered Tom as well as his brother to go home for awhile to recruit. Tom was the less reluctant to do so, as it wasevident that with the force at his command Wellington would not beable to undertake any great operation, and that the siege and captureof Badajoz was the utmost likely to be accomplished in that season'scampaign. The mails in due course had brought out the _Gazette_,and in it Tom and Peter Scudamore were promoted to be captains,unattached.
Colonel Tritton, upon being applied to, readily gave leave for Samto accompany his masters. It was a long journey to Lisbon, but thejolting of the country cart was made bearable by a layer of hay,two feet deep, upon which the mattresses were laid, Sam seeing thatat each night's halt the hay was taken out, well shaken, and thenreturned to the cart, so as to preserve it light and elastic. A thickcanopy of boughs kept off the heat of the sun, and under it, withinreach of the invalids hung a gourd of fresh water, and a basket offruit. Several other cart-loads of wounded officers accompanied them,and at night they would draw up by a grove of trees where water washandy, those who could walk would get out, the others would be liftedout on their mattresses, a great fire made, and round it the beds laidin a circle, and then the evening would be spent in pleasant chat,with many an anecdote and an occasional song, until the fire burntlow, the talk died away, and each, covered in his blankets to keep offthe night dew, fell asleep. Pleasant as was the journey, however, itwas with a thrill of delight that they caught their first sight ofLisbon, with its broad river, and the blue line of the sea beyond. Afew days later, and they embarked on board a transport, which sevendays afterwards, after a calm passage, arrived at Spithead.
Peter wa
s by this time gaining strength fast, but his back was sostiff and sore that he was unable to move it, and was obliged to swinghimself along on crutches. The next day the coach took them to London,and they started the morning after for Marlborough. This time they hadto go inside the coach, two gentlemen, who had previously secured theseats, kindly giving them up in favor of the wounded young officers,while Sam took his place on the roof, and amused his fellow-passengerswith wonderful accounts of his adventures at the war. At the innat which they took dinner, they alighted, and Tom recognized in thedriver the same coachman who had driven them upon the memorableoccasion of their being stopped by highwaymen three years before. "Youdon't remember us, coachman, do you?"
"No, gentlemen, I can't say as how,--but eh! no, why you're the werryboys as shot the highwaymen. Well, I am glad to see you again, thoughyou do look white and bad, both of you. I heard as how there weretwo wounded officers inside, and that black soldier has been tellingall sorts of tales of the wonderful things as his masters had done,but not knowing as how it was you, I didn't much believe all he wastelling. Now I quite see as how it was true; and how are you both?"
"Getting on all right," Tom said, returning the warm shake of thecoachman's hand, "and do you know, those pistols have saved our livesmore than once."
"Have they now," the coachman said, in high admiration, "but there, wemost be moving, we are three minutes after time as it is; I shall seeyou again next time we stop, gentlemen."
During the next stage the coachman and guard recounted to the outsidepassengers the affair of the stopping the coach, and Sam's black faceshone with delight at the tale. Then he had his say, and related thestory of his falling overboard and being rescued, and in consequencethe lads were quite embarrassed when they next halted, by theattention of their fellow-travelers, who could scarcely understand howit was possible that two mere boys should have performed such feats ofbravery.
Arrived at Marlborough they looked round in vain for the one-horsedvehicle which had before met them. "I expect that aunt has not gotour letter, Peter," Tom said. "It would probably go up to town in thecoach with us, and is likely enough in the letter-bag in the boot.Well, we must have a post-chaise. Won't aunt and Rhoda be surprised;but they must be expecting us, because they will have had our letterfrom Lisbon."
The horses were soon in, Sam took his seat in the rumble, and in a fewminutes they were bounding over the road at a very different pace tothat at which they had before traversed it. "There's the house amongthe trees," Peter said at last, "with aunt's pigeons on the roof asusual, and there's Minnie asleep on the window-sill, and there! yes,there's Rhoda."
As he spoke a girl, who was sitting reading under a tree, leapt to herfeet, on hearing a carriage stop, and then, catching sight of Peterwaving his hat, while Tom made frantic efforts to open the door, gavea scream of delight, and rushed towards them, threw her arms roundTom's neck as he jumped out, and then leapt into the chaise and huggedand cried over Peter. He was soon helped out, and as they turned to gotowards the house they saw their aunt coming out to meet them.
Tom ran forward and throwing his arms round her neck kissed herheartily, and before she could recover from her surprise, Peter wasalongside. "Please, aunt, you must kiss me," he said, "for I want myarms for my crutches." His aunt leaned forward and kissed him, andthen wiped the tears from her eyes.
"I am glad to see you back, my dear nephews," she said. "We did notunderstand each other very well before, but we shan't make any moremistakes. This is your black servant, I suppose," she said, as Samcame along, with a trunk in each hand. "Dear! dear! what a dreadfullyugly man."
"How do you do, Sam?" Rhoda said, when he came up. "We have heard somuch of you, and how kindly you nursed my brothers."
"Sam quite well, tank you, little missy," Sam said, grinning all overhis face and showing his white teeth.
Miss Scudamore shrank towards Tom as Sam passed on, "Dear me, whatsharp-looking teeth he has, Tom. They don't eat curious things, theseblack men, do they?"
"What sort of curious things, aunt?"
"Well, my dear, I know that these outlandish people do eat strangethings, and I have heard the Chinese eat dogs and cats. Now, if he hasa fancy for cats, I daresay I could buy him some in the village, onlyhe will have to cook them himself, I could never ask Hannah to cookcats; but please ask him not to touch Minnie."
Peter had to stop in his walk and grasp his crutches tightly, notto burst into a scream of laughter, while Tom answered with greatgravity, "My dear aunt, do not alarm yourself, I will answer for thesafety of Minnie as far as Sam is concerned."
When they reached the house, Miss Scudamore said--
"I think you young people will enjoy yourselves more if you go and situnder the shade of the elm there, you will have a deal to say to eachother, and had better be alone." They were all glad at the suggestion,as they were longing to be alone together.
Sam, by Miss Scudamore's directions, carried out a great easy chair,of which Peter took possession. Rhoda sat on the grass at his feet,and Tom threw himself down at full length. They were all too happyto speak much for a time, and could only look fondly at each other."You have grown a great deal, Rhoda, but I do not think that you arealtered a bit otherwise."
"You are neither of you altered so much as I expected," Rhoda said. "Ihad made up my mind that you would be changed a great deal. It soundsso grand--Captains, indeed! I expected to have curtsey to you andtreat you with great respect; instead of that you look regular boys,both of you. Of course you are big, and Peter looks very tall; howtall are you, Peter?"
"Just over six feet," Peter said.
"Yes," Rhoda said, "you are tall enough, and Tom is broad enough formen, but somehow you look regular boys still."
"This is very disrespectful Rhoda, to two Captains in His Majesty'sservice."
"It seems ridiculous, doesn't it," Rhoda said.
"It does," Tom said heartily, and the three went off into a shout oflaughter.
"It isn't really ridiculous you know," Rhoda said, when they hadrecovered their gravity. "To think of all the dangers you have gonethrough. Aunt was as proud as could be when she saw your names overand over again in despatches, and I have been like a little peacock.Your doings have been the talk of every one round here, and I am surethat if they had known you had been coming, the village would have putup a triumphal arch, and presented you with an address."
"Thank goodness, they did not know it then," Tom said, "for it wouldhave been a deal worse to stand than the fire of a French battery.Well, Rhoda, and now as to yourself; so you have really been alwaysvery happy with aunt?"
"Very happy," Rhoda said; "she is most kind and indulgent, and so thatI attend to her little fancies, I can do just as I like. I have hadlessons regularly from the rector's eldest daughter, who has beeneducated for a governess; and in every respect, aunt is all that iskind. Fancy her being afraid of Sam eating Minnie."
After chatting for upwards of an hour, they went into the house, andthe rest of the day was spent in talking over all that had happenedsince they left. Sam was in the kitchen where he made himself verymuch at home, and although Hannah and the cook were at first ratherawed by his size, his black face and rolling eyes, they were soonpacified by his good humor and readiness to make himself useful, andwere wonderfully interested by his long stories about what "Massas"had done in the war.
Miss Scudamore, who was a little uneasy as to how things would go onin the kitchen, made some excuse for going in once or twice in thecourse of the evening. She found things going on much better that shehad expected, indeed so much better, that after Rhoda had gone up tobed, where Peter had two hours before betaken himself, she said to Tomas he was lighting his candle, "One minute, nephew; I could not speakbefore Rhoda, but I wanted to say something to you about your negro.I have heard that all soldiers are very much given to make love, andwe know from Shakespeare, that Othello, who was black too, you willremember, nephew, made love to Desdemona, which shows that color doesnot make so much
difference as one would think. Now I do hope yourman will not make love to Hannah, I don't think she would like it,my dear, and yet you know she might; one never knows what women willdo; they are always making fools of themselves," she added angrily,thinking at the moment how a young girl she had trained up as a cookhad, after being with her three years, left a few weeks before tomarry the village blacksmith, "and I should be sorry to lose Hannah.She has been with us more than twenty years. If he must fall in lovewith one, my dear, let it be the cook."
Tom had a great command of his countenance, but he had greatdifficulty in steadying his muscles. After a moment or two he said,"I will give Sam a hint, aunt, if it becomes necessary, but I do notthink you need fear. I do not fancy Sam is matrimonially inclined atpresent, and he wouldn't leave us even to marry Desdemona herself.Good night, aunt."
So saying, Tom went upstairs, where he repeated to Peter, who wasstill awake, his conversation with his aunt, and the two went intoshouts of laughter over the idea of Sam making love to the primHannah.
The next six months passed over quietly and happily. The boyswere made a great deal of by the whole county, and Miss Scudamorewas greatly gratified at the name and credit they had gained forthemselves. She no longer worried about them, but as Rhoda declared,quite spoiled them, and as Sam made no attempt to win the love ofthe faithful Hannah, there was no cloud to mar the pleasure of theholiday.