CHAPTER XX. KILLALA
I will not weary my reader with an account of our debarkation, lessremarkable as it was for the 'pomp and circumstance of war' than forincidents and accidents the most absurd and ridiculous--the miserableboats of the peasantry, the still more wretched cattle employed to dragour artillery and train-waggons, involving us in innumerable misfortunesand mischances. Never were the heroic illusions of war more thoroughlydissipated than by the scenes which accompanied our landing! Boats andbaggage-waggons upset; here, a wild, half savage-looking fellow swimmingafter a cocked-hat--there, a group of ragged wretches scraping sea-weedfrom a dripping officer of the staff; noise, uproar, and confusioneverywhere; smart aides-de-camp mounted on donkeys; trim field-pieces'horsed' by a promiscuous assemblage of men, women, cows, ponies, andasses. Crowds of idle country-people thronged the little quay, and,obstructing the passages, gazed upon the whole with eyes of wondermentand surprise, but evidently enjoying all the drollery of the scene withhigher relish than they felt interest in its object or success. Thistrait in them soon attracted all our notice, for they laughed ateverything: not a caisson tumbled into the sea, not a donkey brought hisrider to the ground, but one general shout shook the entire assemblage.
If want and privation had impressed themselves by every external sign onthis singular people, they seemed to possess inexhaustible resources ofgood-humour and good spirits within. No impatience or rudeness onour part could irritate them; and even to the wildest and leastcivilised-looking fellow around, there was a kind of native courtesy andkindliness that could not fail to strike us.
A vague notion prevailed that we were their 'friends'; and althoughmany of them did not clearly comprehend why we had come, or what wasthe origin of the warm attachment between us, they were too lazy and tooindifferent to trouble their heads about the matter. They were satisfiedthat there would be a 'shindy' somewhere, and somebody's bones would getbroken, and even that much was a pleasant and reassuring consideration;while others of keener mould revelled in plans of private vengeanceagainst this landlord or that agent--small debts of hatred to be paidoff in the day of general reckoning.
From the first moment nothing could exceed the tone of fraternal feelingbetween our soldiers and the people. Without any means of communicatingtheir thoughts by speech, they seemed to acquire an instinctiveknowledge of each other in an instant. If the peasant was poor, therewas no limit to his liberality in the little he had. He dug up hishalf-ripe potatoes, he unroofed his cabin to furnish straw for litter,he gave up his only beast, and was ready to kill his cow, if asked,to welcome us. Much of this was from the native, warm, and impulsivegenerosity of their nature, and much, doubtless, had its origin in thebright hopes of future recompense inspired by the eloquent appeals ofNeal Kerrigan, who, mounted on an old white mare, rode about on everyside, addressing the people in Irish, and calling upon them to give allaid and assistance to 'the expedition.'
The difficulty of the landing was much increased by the small space oflevel ground which intervened between the cliffs and the sea, and ofwhich now the thickening crowd filled every spot. This and the miserablemeans of conveyance for our baggage delayed us greatly, so that, witha comparatively small force, it was late in the afternoon before we hadall reached the shore.
We had none of us eaten since morning, and were not sorry, as we crownedthe heights, to hear the drums beat for 'cooking.' In an inconceivablyshort, time fires blazed along the hills, around which, in motleygroups, stood soldiers and peasantry mingled together, while the workof cooking and eating went briskly on, amid hearty laughter and all themerriment that mutual mistakes and misconceptions occasioned. It was anew thing for French soldiers to bivouac in a friendly country, and findthemselves the welcome guests of a foreign people; and certainly, thehonours of hospitality, however limited the means, could not have beenperformed with more of courtesy or good-will. Paddy gave his 'all,' witha generosity that might have shamed many a richer donor.
While the events I have mentioned were going forward, and a considerablecrowd of fishermen and peasants had gathered about us, still it wasremarkable that, except immediately on the coast itself, no suspicion ofour arrival had gained currency, and even the country-people who lived amile from the shore did not know who we were. The few who, from distantheights and headlands, had seen the ships, mistook them for English, andas all those who were out with fish or vegetables to sell were detainedby the frigates, any direct information about us was impossible. So far,therefore, all might be said to have gone most favourably with us. Wehad safely escaped the often-menaced dangers of the Channel fleet; wehad gained a secure and well-sheltered harbour; and we had landed ourforce not only without opposition, but in perfect secrecy. There were,I will not deny, certain little counterbalancing circumstances on theother side of the account not exactly so satisfactory. The patriotforces upon which we had calculated had no existence. There were neithermoney, nor stores, nor means of conveyance to be had; even accurateinformation as to the strength and position of the English wasunattainable; and as to generals and leaders, the effective staff hadbut a most sorry representative in the person of Neal Kerrigan. Thisman's influence over our general increased with every hour, and one ofthe first orders issued after our landing contained his appointment asan extra aide-de-camp on General Humbert's staff.
In one capacity Neal was most useful. All the available sources ofpillage for a wide circuit of country he knew by heart, and it wasplain, from the accurate character of his information, varying, as itdid, from the chattels of the rich landed proprietor to the cocksand hens of the cottier, that he had taken great pains to master hissubject. At his suggestion it was decided that we should march thatevening on Killala, where little or more likely no resistance wouldbe met with, and General Humbert should take up his quarters in the'Castle,' as the palace of the bishop was styled. There, he said,we should not only find ample accommodation for the staff, but goodstabling, well filled, and plenty of forage, while the bishop himselfmight be a most useful hostage to have in our keeping. From thence, too,as a place of some note, general orders and proclamations would issue,with a kind of notoriety and importance necessary at the outset of anundertaking like ours; and truly never was an expedition more loadedwith this species of missive than ours--whole cart-loads of printedpapers, decrees, placards, and such like, followed us. If our object hadbeen to drive out the English by big type and a flaming letterpress, wecould not have gone more vigorously to work. Fifty thousand broadsheetannouncements of Irish independence were backed by as many prouddeclarations of victory, some dated from Limerick, Cashel, or Dublinitself.
Here, a great placard gave the details of the new Provincial Governmentof Western Ireland, with the name of the 'Prefect' a blank. There wasanother, containing the police regulations for the 'arrondissements' ofConnaught, 'et ses dependances.' Every imaginable step of conquestand occupation was anticipated and provided for in these wise andconsiderate protocols, from the 'enthusiastic welcome of the French onthe western coast' to the hour of 'General Humbert's triumphal entryinto Dublin!' Nor was it prose alone, but even poetry did service inour cause. Songs, not, I own, conspicuous for any great metrical beauty,commemorated our battles and our bravery; so that we entered upon thecampaign as deeply pledged to victory as any force I ever heard or readof in history.
Neal, who was, I believe, originally a schoolmaster, had greatconfidence in this arsenal of 'black and white,' and soon persuadedGeneral Humbert that a bold face and a loud tongue would do more inIreland than in any country under heaven; and, indeed, if his own careermight be called a success, the theory deserved some consideration.A great part of our afternoon was then spent in distributing thesedocuments to the people, not one in a hundred of whom could read, butwho treasured the placards with a reverence nothing diminished bytheir ignorance. Emissaries, too, were appointed to post them up inconspicuous places through the country, on the doors of the chapels,at the smiths' forges, at cross-roads--everywhere, in short, where theymight attract n
otice. The most important and business-like of all these,however, was one headed 'Arms!'--'Arms!' and which went on to say thatno man who wished to lift his hand for old Ireland need do so withouta weapon, and that a general distribution of guns, swords, and bayonetswould take place at noon the following day at the Palace of Killala.
Serasint and, I believe, Madgett, were strongly opposed to thisindiscriminate arming of the people; but Neal's counsels were now in theascendant, and Humbert gave an implicit confidence to all he suggested.
It was four o'clock in the evening when the word to march was given, andour gallant little force began its advance movement. Still attached toColonel Charost's staff, and being, as chasseurs, in the advance, I hada good opportunity of seeing the line of march from an eminence abouthalf a mile in front. Grander and more imposing displays I have indeedoften witnessed. As a great military 'spectacle' it could not, ofcourse, be compared with those mighty armies I had seen deployingthrough the defiles of the Black Forest, or spreading like a sea overthe wide plain of Germany; but in purely picturesque effect, this scenesurpassed all I had ever beheld at the time, nor do I think that, inafter-life, I can recall one more striking.
The winding road, which led over hill and valley, now disappearing,now emerging, with the undulations of the soil, was covered by troopsmarching in a firm, compact order--the grenadiers in front, after whichcame the artillery, and then the regiments of the line. Watching thedark column, occasionally saluting it as it went with a cheer, stoodthousands of country-people on every hill-top and eminence, while faraway in the distance the frigates lay at anchor in the bay, the guns atintervals thundering out a solemn 'boom' of welcome and encouragement totheir comrades.
There was something so heroic in the notion of that little band ofwarriors throwing themselves fearlessly into a strange land, to contestits claim for liberty with one of the most powerful nations of theworld; there was a character of daring intrepidity in this bold advance,they knew not whither, nor against what force, that gave the whole anair of glorious chivalry.
I must own that distance lent its wonted illusion to the scene, andproximity, like its twin-brother familiarity, destroyed much of theprestige my fancy had conjured up. The line of march, so imposing whenseen from afar, was neither regular nor well kept. The peasantry werepermitted to mingle with the troops; ponies, mules, and asses, loadedwith camp-kettles and cooking-vessels, were to be met with everywhere.The baggage-waggons were crowded with officers and _sous-officiers_ who,disappointed in obtaining horses, were too indolent to walk. Even thegun-carriages, and the guns themselves, were similarly loaded, while, atthe head of the infantry column, in an old rickety gig, the ancient mailconveyance between Ballina and the coast, came General Humbert, NealKerrigan capering at his side on the old grey, whose flanks were nowtastefully covered by the tricolour ensign of one of the boats as asaddle-cloth.
This nearer and less enchanting prospect of my gallant comrades I wasenabled to obtain on being despatched to the rear by Colonel Charost, tosay that we were now within less than a mile of the town of Killala, itsvenerable steeple and the tall chimneys of the palace being easily seenabove the low hills in front. Neal Kerrigan passed me as I rode backwith my message, galloping to the front with all the speed he couldmuster; but while I was talking to the general he came back to say thatthe beating of drums could be heard from the town, and that by the rapidmovements here and there of people, it was evident the defence was beingprepared. There was a lookout, too, from the steeple, that showed ourapproach was already known. The general was not slow in adopting hismeasures, and the word was given for quick-march, the artillery todeploy right and left of the road, two companies of grenadiers formingon the flanks. 'As for you, sir,' said Humbert to me, 'take that horse,'pointing to a mountain pony, fastened behind the gig, 'ride forward tothe town, and make a reconnaissance. You are to report to me,' cried he,as I rode away, and was soon out of hearing.
Quitting the road, I took a foot-track across the fields, and which thepony seemed to know well, and after a sharp canter reached a small, poorsuburb of the town, if a few straggling wretched cabins can deserve thename. A group of countrymen stood in the middle of the road, about fiftyyards in front of me; and while I was deliberating whether to advanceor retire, a joyous cry of 'Hurrah for the French!' decided me, and Itouched my cap in salute and rode forward.
Other groups saluted me with a similar cheer, as I went on; and nowwindows were flung open, and glad cries and shouts of welcome rang outfrom every side. These signs were too encouraging to turn my back upon,so I dashed forward through a narrow street in front, and soon foundmyself in a kind of square or 'Place,' the doors and windows of whichwere all closed, and not a human being to be seen anywhere. As Ihesitated what next to do, I saw a soldier in a red coat rapidly turnthe corner--'What do you want here, you spy?' he cried out in a loudvoice, and at the same instant his bullet rang past my ear with awhistle. I drove in the spurs at once, and just as he had gained adoorway, I clove his head open with my sabre--he fell dead on the spotbefore me. Wheeling my horse round, I now rode back, as I had come, atfull speed, the same welcome cries accompanying me as before.
Short as had been my absence, it was sufficient to have brought theadvanced guard close up with the town; and just as I emerged from thelittle suburb, a quick, sharp firing drew my attention towards the leftof the wall, and there I saw our fellows advancing at a trot, whileabout twenty red-coats were in full flight before them, the wild criesof the country-people following them as they went.
I had but time to see thus much, and to remark that two or three Englishprisoners were taken, when the general came up. He had now abandonedthe gig, and was mounted on a large, powerful black horse, which Iafterwards learned was one of the bishop's. My tidings were soon told,and, indeed, but indifferently attended to, for it was evident enoughthat the place was our own.
'This way, general--follow me,' cried Kerrigan. 'If the light companieswill take the road down to the "Acres," they'll catch the yeomen as theyretreat by that way, and we have the town our own.'
The counsel was speedily adopted; and although a dropping fire here andthere showed that some slight resistance was still being made, it wasplain enough that all real opposition was impossible.
'Forward!' was now the word; and the chasseurs, with their muskets 'insling,' advanced at a trot up the main street. At a little distance thegrenadiers followed, and, debouching into the square, were receivedby an ill-directed volley from a few of the militia, who took to theirheels after they fired. Three or four red-coats were killed, but theremainder made their escape through the churchyard, and, gaining theopen country, scattered and fled as best they could.
Humbert, who had seen war on a very different scale, could not helplaughing at the absurdity of the skirmish, and was greatly amused withthe want of all discipline and 'accord' exhibited by the English troops.
'I foresee, gentlemen,' said he jocularly, 'that we may have abundanceof success, but gain very little glory, in the same campaign. Now for ablessing upon our labours--where shall we find our friend the bishop?'
'This way, general,' cried Neal, leading down a narrow street, at theend of which stood a high wall, with an iron gate. This was locked, andsome efforts at barricading it showed the intention of a defence; buta few strokes of a pioneer s hammer smashed the lock, and we entereda kind of pleasure-ground, neatly and trimly kept. We had notadvanced many paces when the bishop, followed by a great number of hisclergy--for it happened to be the period of his annual visitation--cameforward to meet us.
Humbert dismounted, and removing his chapeau, saluted the dignitarywith a most finished courtesy. I could see, too, by his gesture, that hepresented General Serasin, the second in command; and, in fact, all hismotions were those of a well-bred guest at the moment of being receivedby his host. Nor was the bishop, on his side, wanting either in ease ordignity; his manner, not without the appearance of deep sorrow, was yetthat of a polished gentleman doing the honours of his house to a
numberof strangers.
As I drew nearer I could hear that the bishop spoke French fluently,but with a strong foreign accent. This facility, however, enabled himto converse with ease on every subject, and to hold intercourse directlywith our general, a matter of no small moment to either party. It isprobable that the other clergy did not possess this gift, for assuredlytheir manner towards us inferiors of the staff was neither gracious norconciliating; and as for myself, the few efforts I made to express, inEnglish, my admiration for the coast scenery, or the picturesquebeauty of the neighbourhood, were met in any rather than a spirit ofpoliteness.
The generals accompanied the bishop into the castle, leaving myselfand three or four others on the outside. Colonel Charost soon madehis appearance, and a guard was stationed at the entrance gate, with astrong picket in the garden. Two sentries were placed at the hall door,and the words 'Quartier General' written up over the portico. A smallgarden pavilion was appropriated to the colonel's use, and made theoffice of the adjutant-general, and in less than half an hour afterour arrival, eight _sous-officiers_ were hard at work under the trees,writing away at billets, contribution orders, and forage rations; whileI, from my supposed fluency in English, was engaged in carrying messagesto and from the staff to the various shopkeepers and tradesmen of thetown, numbers of whom now flocked around us with expressions of welcomeand rejoicing.