CHAPTER XLIX. A LUCKY MEETING
The reader will probably not complain if, passing over the manifoldadventures and hair-breadth 'scapes of my little party, I come to ourarrival at Ingoldstadt, where the headquarters of General Vandamme werestationed. It was just as the recall was beating that we rode into thetown, where, although nearly eight thousand men were assembled, oursomewhat singular cavalcade attracted no small share of notice. Freshrations for 'man and beast' slung around our very ragged clothing, andfour Austrian grenadiers tied by a cord, wrist to wrist, as prisonersbehind us, we presented, it must be owned, a far more picturesque thansoldierlike party.
Accepting all the attentions bestowed upon us in the most flatteringsense, and affecting not to perceive the ridicule we were exciting onevery hand, I rode up to the etat-major and dismounted. I had obtainedfrom 'my prisoners' what I deemed a very important secret, and wasresolved to make the most of it by asking for an immediate audience ofthe general.
'I am the _officier d ordonnance_,' said a young lieutenant of dragoons,stepping forward; 'any communications you have to make must be addressedto me.'
'I have taken four prisoners, Monsieur le lieutenant,' said I, 'andwould wish to inform General Vandamme on certain matters they haverevealed to me.'
'Are you in the service?' asked he, with a glance at my incongruousequipment.
'I have served, sir,' was my reply.
'In what army of brigands was it, then?' said he, laughing, 'for,assuredly, you do not recall to my recollection any European force thatI know of.'
'I may find leisure and inclination to give you the fullest informationon this point at another moment, sir; for the present, my business ismore pressing. Can I see General Vandamme?'
'Of course you cannot, my worthy fellow! If you had served, as you sayyou have, you could scarcely have made so absurd a request. A Frenchgeneral of division does not give audience to every tatterdemalion whopicks up a prisoner on the highroad.'
'It is exactly because I have served that I do make the request,' said Istoutly.
'How so, pray?' asked he, staring at me.
'Because I know well how often young staff-officers, in theirself-sufficiency, overlook the most important points, and, from thehumble character of their informants, frequently despise what theirsuperiors, had they known it, would have largely profited by. And, evenif I did not know this fact, I have the memory of another one scarcelyless striking, which was, that General Massena himself admitted me toan audience when my appearance was not a whit more imposing than atpresent.'
'You knew General Massena, then? Where was it, may I ask?'
'In Genoa, during the siege.'
'And what regiment have you served in?'
'The Ninth Hussars.'
'Quite enough, my good fellow. The Ninth were on the Sambre while thatsiege was going on,' said he, laughing sarcastically.
'I never said that my regiment was at Genoa. I only asserted that _I_was,' was my calm reply, for I was anxious to prolong the conversation,seeing that directly over our heads, on a balcony, a number of officershad just come out to smoke their cigars after dinner, amongst whom Irecognised two or three in the uniform of generals.
'And now for your name; let us have that,' said he, seating himself, asif for a lengthy cross-examination.
I stole a quick glance overhead, and seeing that two of the officerswere eagerly listening to our colloquy, said aloud--
'I'll tell you no more, sir. You have already heard quite enough toknow what my business is. I didn't come here to relate my life andadventures.'
'I say, Lestocque,' cried a large, burly man, from above, 'have youpicked up Robinson Crusoe, there?'
'He's far more like the man Friday, _mon general_,' said the younglieutenant, laughing, 'although even a savage might have more deferencefor his superiors.'
'What does he want, then?' asked the other.
'An audience of yourself, _mon general_--nothing less.'
'Have you told him how I am accustomed to reward people who occupy mytime on false pretences, Lestocque?' said the general, with a grin.'Does he know that the "Salle de Police" first, and the "Prevot"afterwards, comprise my gratitude?'
'He presumes to say, sir, that he knows General Massena,' said thelieutenant.
'_Diable!_ He knows me, does he say--he knows me? Who is he--what ishe?' said a voice I well remembered; and at the same instant the brown,dark visage of General Massena peered over the balcony.
'He's a countryman of yours, Massena,' said Vandamme, laughing. 'Eh, areyou not a Piemontais?'
Up to this moment I had stood silently listening to the dialogue aroundme, without the slightest apparent sign of noticing it. Now, however,as I was directly addressed, I drew myself up to a soldierlike attitude,and replied--
'No, sir. I am more a Frenchman than General Vandamme, at least.'
'Send that fellow here; send him up, Lestocque, and have a corporal'sparty ready for duty,' cried the general, as he threw the end of hiscigar into the street, and walked hastily away.
It was not the first time in my life that my tongue had brought peril onmy head; but I ascended the stairs with a firm step, and if not with alight, at least with a resolute, heart, seeing how wonderfully littleI had to lose, and that few men had a smaller stake in existence thanmyself.
The voices were loud, and in tones of anger, as I stepped out upon theterrace.
'So we are acquaintances, it would appear, my friend?' said Massena, ashe stared fixedly at me.
'If General Massena cannot recall the occasion of our meeting,' said Iproudly, 'I 'll scarcely remind him of it.'
'Come, come,' said Vandamme angrily, 'I must deal with this _gaillard_myself. Are you a French soldier?'
'I was, sir---an officer of cavalry.'
'And were you broke? did you desert? or what was it?' cried heimpatiently.
'I kept better company than I believe is considered safe in these days,and was accidentally admitted to the acquaintance of the Prince deConde----'
'That's it!' said Vandamme, with a long whistle; 'that's the mischief,then. You are a Vendean?'
'No, sir; I was never a Royalist, although, as I have said, exposed tothe very society whose fascinations might have made me one.'
'Your name is Tiernay, monsieur, or I mistake much?* said asmart-looking young man in civilian dress.
I bowed in assent, without expressing any sentiment of either fear oranxiety.
'I can vouch for the perfect accuracy of that gentleman's narrative,'said Monsieur de Bourrienne, for I now saw it was himself. 'You maypossibly remember a visitor----'
'At the Temple,' said I, interrupting him. 'I recollect you perfectly,sir, and thank you for this recognition.'
Monsieur de Bourrienne, however, did not pay much attention to mygratitude, but proceeded, in a few hurried words, to give some accountof me to the bystanders.
'Well, it must be owned that he looks devilish unlike an officer ofhussars,' said Massena, as he laughed, and made others laugh, at mystrange equipment.
'And yet you saw me in a worse plight, general,' said I coolly.
'How so--where was that?' cried he.
'It will be a sore wound to my pride, general,' said I slowly, 'if Imust refresh your memory.'
'You were not at Valenciennes,' said he, musing. 'No, no; that wasbefore your day. Were you on the Meuse, then? No. Nor in Spain? I'vealways had hussars in my division, but I confess I do not remember allthe officers.'
'Will Genoa not give the clue, sir?' said I, glancing at him a keenlook.
'Least of all,' cried he. 'The cavalry were with Soult. I had nothingbeyond an escort in the town.'
'So there's no help for it,' said I, with a sigh. 'Do you remember ahalf-drowned wretch that was laid down at your feet in the AnnunziataChurch one morning during the siege?'
'A fellow who had made his escape from the English fleet, and swamashore? What I are you---- By Jove! so it is, the very same. Give meyour hand, my brave fellow. I've
often thought of you, and wondered whathad befallen you. You joined that unlucky attack on Monte Faccio; andwe had warm work ourselves on hand the day after. I say, Vandamme,the first news I had of our columns crossing the Alps were from thisofficer--for officer he was, and shall be again, if I live to command aFrench division.'
Massena embraced me affectionately, as he said this; and then turning tothe others, said--
'Gentlemen, you see before you the man you have often heard me speakof--a young officer of hussars, who, in the hope of rescuing a divisionof the French army, at that time shut up in a besieged city, performedone of the most gallant exploits on record. Within a week after he led astorming-party against a mountain fortress; and I don't care if helived in the intimacy of every Bourbon prince, from the Count D'Artoisdownwards, he's a good Frenchman, and a brave soldier. Bourrienne,you're starting for headquarters? Well, it is not at such a moment asthis you can bear these matters in mind, but don't forget my friendTiernay; depend upon it, he'll do you no discredit. The Emperor knowswell both how to employ and how to reward such men as him.'
I heard these flattering speeches like one in a delicious dream. Tostand in the midst of a distinguished group, while Massena thus spokeof me, seemed too much for reality, for praise had indeed become a rareaccident to me; but from such a quarter it was less eulogy than fame.How hard was it to persuade myself that I was awake, as I found myselfseated at the table, with a crowd of officers, pledging the toasts theygave, and drinking bumpers in friendly recognition with all around me.
Such was the curiosity to hear my story, that numbers of others crowdedinto the room, which gradually assumed the appearance of a theatre.There was scarcely an incident to which I referred, that some one orother of those present could not vouch for; and whether I alluded to myearlier adventures in the Black Forest, or the expedition of Humbert, orto the latter scenes of my life, I met corroboration from one quarter oranother. Away as I was from Paris and its influences, in the midst of mycomrades, I never hesitated to relate the whole of my acquaintance withFouche--a part of my narrative which, I must own, amused them more thanall the rest. In the midst of all these intoxicating praises, and of adegree of wonder that might have turned wiser heads, I never forgot thatI was in possession of what seemed to myself at least a very importantmilitary fact--no less than the mistaken movement of an Austriangeneral, who had marched his division so far to the southward as toleave an interval of several miles between himself and the main body ofthe Imperial forces. This fact I had obtained from the grenadiers I hadmade prisoners, and who were stragglers from the corps I alluded to.
The movement in question was doubtless intended to menace the rightflank of our army, but every soldier of Napoleon well knew that solong as he could pierce the enemy's centre such flank attacks wereineffectual, the question being already decided before they could beundertaken.
My intelligence, important as it appeared to myself, struck the twogenerals as of even greater moment; and Massena, who had arrived only afew hours before from his own division to confer with Vandamme, resolvedto take me with him at once to headquarters.
'You are quite certain of what you assert, Tiernay?' said he; 'doubtfulinformation, or a mere surmise, will not do with him before whom youwill be summoned. You must be clear on every point, and brief--rememberthat--not a word more than is absolutely necessary.'
I repeated that I had taken the utmost precautions to assure myself ofthe truth of the men's statement, and had ridden several leagues betweenthe Austrian left and the left centre. The prisoners themselvescould prove that they had marched from early morning till late in theafternoon without coming up with a single Austrian post.
The next question was to equip me with a uniform--but what should it be?I was not attached to any corps, nor had I any real rank in thearmy. Massena hesitated about appointing me on his own staff withoutauthority, nor could he advise me to assume the dress of my oldregiment. Time was pressing, and it was decided--I own to my greatdiscomfiture--that I should continue to wear my Tyroler costume till myrestoration to my former rank was fully established.
I was well tired, having already ridden thirteen leagues of a bad road,when I was obliged to mount once more, and accompany General Massena inhis return to headquarters. A good supper, and some excellent Bordeaux,and, better than either, a light heart, gave me abundant energy; andafter the first three or four miles of the way I felt as if I was equalto any fatigue.
As we rode along, the general repeated all his cautions to me in theevent of my being summoned to give information at headquarters--theimportance of all my replies being short, accurate, and to the purpose;and, above all, the avoidance of anything like an opinion or expressionof my own judgment on passing events. I promised faithfully to observeall his counsels, and not bring discredit on his patronage.