In the Irish brigade
George Alfred Henty, Charles Monroe Sheldon º











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IN THE IEISH BEIGABE









HIS OPPONENT HAD ENOUGH TO DO TO GUARD HIS HEAD.
(PAGE III.)


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IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
A TALE OF
WAR IN FLANDERS AND SPAIN
BY
G. A. HENTY
Author of "Won by the Sword" "For Name and Fame"
"The Young Colonists" 4c.
WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHARLES M. SHELDON
NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
1900


Juvenile
Collection
pjl
1 /'
Copyright igoo by
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S


PREFACE
The evils arising from religious persecution, sectarian ha-
tred, ill-government, and oppression were never more strongly
illustrated than by the fact that for a century Ireland, which
has since that time furnished us with a large proportion of
our best soldiers, should have been among our bitterest and
most formidable foes, and her sons fought in the ranks of our
greatest continental enemy. It was not because they were
adherents of the house of Stuart that Irishmen left their na-
tive country to take service abroad, but because life in Ire-
land was rendered well-nigh intolerable for Catholics on ac-
count of the nature and severity of the laws against them,
and the bitterness with which those laws were carried into
effect.
An Irish Catholic had no prospects of employment or ad-
vancement at home. He could hold no civil appointment of
any kind; he could not serve as an officer, nor even enlist as a
private, in the army; he could not hold land; he was subject to
imprisonment, and even death, on the most trifling and frivo-
lous accusations brought against him by the satellites of the
Irish Government. Not only could he not sit in the parlia-
ment of Dublin, but he could not even vote at elections. It
was because they believed that the return of the Stuarts would
mean relief from at least some of their disabilities, and
liberty to carry out the offices of their religion openly, and


PREFACE
to dwell in peace, free from denunciation and persecution,
that the Irish remained so long faithful to the Jacobite cause.
It was not indeed until 1774 that the Catholics in Ireland
were admitted to qualify themselves as subjects of the crown,
and not until the following year that they were permitted to
enlist in the army. Irish regiments had enlisted in France
previous to the Convention of Limerick, but it was the Irish
army that defended that town, and having been defeated
passed over to France, that raised the Irish Brigade to the po-
sition of an important factor in the French army, which it
held for nearly a hundred years, bearing a prominent part in
every siege and battle in Flanders, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
A long succession of French marshals and generals have testi-
fied to the extraordinary bravery of these troops, and to their
good conduct under all circumstances. Not only in France
did Irishmen play a prominent part in military matters, but
they were conspicuous in every continental army, and their
descendants are still to be found bearing honoured names
throughout Europe.
Happily those days are past, and for over a hundred years
the courage and military capacity of Irishmen have been em-
ployed in the service of Great Britain. For records of the
doings of some of the regiments of the Irish Brigade during
the years 1706-1710, I am indebted to the painstaking ac-
count of the Irish Brigade in the service of France by J. C.
O'Callaghan; while the accounts of the war in Spain are
drawn from the official report given in Boyer's Annals of the
Reign of Queen Anne, which contains a mine of information
of the military and civil events of the time.
G. A. HENTY.


CONTENTS
Chap. Pl*e
I. Fresh from Ireland 1
EL A Valiant Band 22
III. A Strange Adventure 40
IV. At Versailles 61
V. A New Friend 82
VI. An Ambuscade 101
VII. In Paris again 131
VIII. To Scotland 138
IX. An Escape prom Newgate 157
X. Kidnapping a Minister 176
XI. On The Frontier 191
XII. Oudenarde 210
XIII. Convalescent 238
XTV. A Mission 247
XV. Treachery 267
XVI. Captured 288
XVII. An Old Friend , 306
XVIII. WAR 826
XIX. In Search of a Family 841
XX. Gerald O'Carroll 858





ILLUSTRATIONS
Page
"His opponent had enough to do to a card his bead"
Frontispiece
"James felt that the words were a reproof" .... 24
"Desmond's weapon pierced his throat" 56
"Taking a diamond ring from his finger he handed it
to Desmond" 86
"The English officer . . . received the swords of
the French officers" 150
"Lord Godolphin . . . was seized and bound" . . 182
"The bridle fell from his left hand" 224
"Desmond . . . was able to join in a cheerful con-
versation" 240
"One of the soldiers gave an exclamation" .... 264
"Crofton's cavalry attack the Portuguese infantry" 818
"That explains it all!" he exclaimed 356
"'Tour uncle must be a thorough villain,' the dttkb
said hotly" 864





IN THE IEISH BEIGADE
CHAPTEE I
FRESH FROM IRELAND
NUMBER of officers of O'Brien's regiment of foot,
forming a part of the Irish Brigade in the service of
I 1 Erance, were gathered in a handsome apartment in
the Rue des Fosses on the 20th of June, 1703, when the door
opened and their colonel entered with a young officer in the
uniform of the regiment.
"I have asked you here, gentlemen all," he said, " to present
to you a new comrade, Desmond Kennedy, who, through the
good offices of the Marshal de Noailles, has been appointed
by His Gracious Majesty to a cornetcy in our regiment.
Now, gentlemen, I have known, and doubtless you can all of
you recall, instances where the harmony of a regiment has
been grievously disturbed and bad blood caused, owing to the
want of a clear understanding upon matters connected with a
family, which might have been avoided had proper explanations
been given at the commencement. I have spoken frankly to
Mr. Kennedy, and he has stated to me certain particulars,
and has not only authorized me but requested me to repeat
them to you, feeling that you had a right to know who it was
that had come among you, and so to avoid questioning on
matters that are of all others prone to lead to trouble among
gentlemen.


2
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"Beyond the fact that he is a Kennedy, and that his father
had to fly from Ireland two years after the siege of Limerick
owing to a participation in some plot to bring about a fresh
rising in favour of King James, he is unacquainted with his
family history. He has never heard from his father, and only
knows that he made for France after throwing the usurper's
spies off his track, and there can be little doubt that it was his
intention to take service in this brigade. There have been
several Kennedys in the service, and I have little doubt that
this young gentleman's father was the Murroch Kennedy who
joined the third regiment about that time and was killed a
few months afterwards at the battle of Breda. His death
would account for the fact that his son never received a letter
from him. At the time when he left Ireland the child was
some two years old, and as communication was difficult, and
the boy so young, Murroch might very well have put off
writing until the boy grew older, not thinking that death
might intervene, as it did, to prevent his doing so.
"This is all simple and straightforward enough, and you
will, I am sure, have no hesitation in extending the hand of
friendship to the son of a gallant Irishman who died fighting
in the ranks of the Irish Brigade, exiled, like the rest of us,
for loyalty to our king. Still, gentlemen, you might perhaps
wonder how it is that he knows no more of his family, and it
was that this question might be disposed of once for all, that
I am making this statement to you on his behalf. He was
not brought up, as you might expect, with some of his father's
connections. Whether the family were so scattered that
there was no one to whom he could safely entrust the child, I
know not, but in point of fact he sent him to one of the last
houses where a loyal gentleman would wish his son to be
brought up. We all know by name and reputation—I and
your majors know him personally—the gallant James O'Car-


FRESH FROM IRELAND
3
roll, who died fighting bravely at the siege of Limerick. He
was succeeded in his estate by his brother John, one of the
few Irishmen of good family who turned traitor to his king,
and who secured the succession to his brother's possessions by
becoming an ardent supporter of the usurper and by changing
his religion.
"Why Murroch Kennedy should have chosen such a man
as the guardian of his son is a mystery. Whether they had
been great friends in earlier times when John O'Carroll pro-
fessed as warm an attachment to the Stuart cause as did his
brother James, or whether Kennedy possessed such knowledge
of O'Carroll's traitorous dealings with the Dutchman as
would, if generally known, have rendered him so hateful to all
loyal men that he could no longer have remained in the coun-
try, and so had a hold over him, Mr. Kennedy can tell us noth-
ing. He was brought by his nurse to Castle Kilkargan and
was left with John O'Carroll. It is clear that the latter ac-
cepted the charge unwillingly, for he sent the child to a farm,
where he remained until he was eight years old, and then
placed him with the parish priest, who educated him. The lad
visited at the houses of the neighboring gentry, shot and
rowed and fished with their sons. O'Carroll, however, beyond
paying for his maintenance, all but ignored his existence,
showing no interest whatever in him up to the time when he
furnished him with a letter of introduction to de Noailles,
except that he made him a present of a gun as soon as he
became of an age to use one. He never attempted to tamper
with his loyalty to King James, and in fact, until he sent
for him to ask what profession he would choose, he never
exchanged ten words with him from the time that he was
brought to the castle.
"We can each form our own theory as to the cause of such
strange conduct. He may have given a pledge to Murroch


4
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
that the boy should be brought up a loyalist and a true son
of the church. It may have been that the loyalty of the boy's
father formed so unpleasant a contrast to his own disloyalty
and apostasy that he disliked the sight of him. How-
over, these theories can make no difference in our reception
of Desmond Kennedy as a gentleman of a good family and
as the son of a loyal adherent of the king; and as such, I
think that I can from what I have already seen of him,
assert that he is one who will be a good comrade, a pleasant
companion and a credit to the regiment."
The subject of these remarks was a tall and handsome young
fellow, some sixteen years of age. He was already broad at
the shoulders, and promised to become an exceedingly power-
ful man. He had stood somewhat behind the colonel, watching
calmly the effect of his words on those whose comrade he
was to be, for he knew how punctilious were his countrymen
on the subject of family, placing as much or even more value
than did the Scots on points of genealogy and of descent
from the old families. His frank open face, his bearing and
manner, did as much to smooth his way as did the speech of
his colonel, who, when he had been introduced to him two
days before, had questioned him very closely on the subject
of his family. It had almost been a matter of satisfaction to
Desmond when he heard from the colonel that the officer who
had fallen at Breda was probably the father of whom he had
no remembrance, for, from the time he attained the age of
boyhood, it had been a grief and pain that he should never
have heard from his father, who it now appeared had been
prevented by death from ever communicating with him.
The officers received him cordially; they had little doubt
that he was the son of the Murroch Kennedy of Dillon's
regiment, although, after they separated, some wonder was
expressed as to the reason why the latter had committed his


FRESH FROM IRELAND
5
son to the care of so notorious a traitor as John O'CarrolL
Desmond had been specially introduced to two of the young
lieutenants, Patrick O'Neil and Phelim O'Sullivan, and these
took him off with them to their quarters.
"And what is the last news from Ireland? I suppose that
the confiscations have ceased for the excellent reason that
they have seized the estates of every loyal gentleman in the
country?"
"That was done long ago in the neighbourhood of Kilkargan
and, so far as I know, everywhere the feeling is as bitter as
ever among those who have been dispossessed, and also among
the tenants and peasantry, who have found themselves handed
over to the mercies of Dutchmen or other followers of Will-
iam. At Kilkargan there was not that grievance; but although
they had still one of the old family as their master, they could
not forgive him for deserting to the side of the usurper, nor
for changing his religion in order to do pleasure to William.
Certainly he can have derived but little satisfaction from the
estates. He seldom showed himself out of doors, never with-
out two or three armed servants, all of whom were strangers
from the north, and he was often away for months together at
Dublin."
"And what did you do with yourself?"
"I fished, shot, and rode; I had many friends among the •
gentry of the neighbourhood, who would doubtless have
shown less kindness than they did had it not been for the
neglect with which O'Carroll treated me. His unpopularity
was all in my favour. However, I have one good reason for
being obliged to him, since it was through him that I ob-
tained my commission. He told me that in his young days
he had been at a French college with the duke. They had
been great friends there, and he thought that, in memory of
this, de Noailles would procure me a commission."


6
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"I suppose the real fact was, Kennedy, that he was glad to
get rid of you altogether?"
"I think that is likely enough; he certainly raised no
objection whatever to my going abroad, and seemed to think
it natural that I should choose the Irish Brigade here in pre-
ference to the British service. He said something unpleasant
about its not being singular that I should be a rebel when I
always associated with rebels, to which I replied that it seemed
to me that I could hardly be blamed for that, seeing that
my father had been what he called a rebel, and that I had lit-
tle choice in the matter of my associates; and that if I had
been educated at a school in England instead of by good Fa-
ther O'Leary, I might have had other sentiments. He re-
plied that my sentiments were nothing to him one way or the
other. He was glad to wash his hands of me altogether; and,
at any rate, if I went to France I could drink the health of
King James every day without his being involved in my
treason."
"It almost looked as if he wished you to grow up a rebel,
Kennedy, or he would hardly have placed you in the charge
of a priest. He may have reckoned that if there was another
rising you might join it, and so be taken off his hands alto-
gether."
"Whatever the reason was, I have certainly cause for satis-
faction that he removed me from the care of the farmer's wife
with whom he at first placed me, and arranged with the priest
to take charge of me altogether. O'Leary himself had been
educated at St. Omer, and was a splendid fellow. He was
very popular on the country-side, and it was owing to my
being with him that I was admitted to the houses of the
gentry around, whereas had I remained in the farmhouse in
which O'Carroll first placed me, I should only have associated
with the sons of other tenants."


FRESH FROM IRELAND
7
"It loooked at any rate as if he wished to make a gentle-
man of you, Kennedy."
"Yes, I suppose my father had asked him to do so. At any
rate I was infinitely better off than I should have been if he
had taken me in at Kilkargan, for in that case I should have
had no associates whatever. As it was, I scarcely ever
exchanged a word with him until that last meeting. He
sent down by one of his servants the letter to the Due de
Noailles, and a bag containing money for my outfit here,
and for the purchase of a horse, together with a line saying
that he had done his duty by me, and had no desire to hear
from me in the future. I was inclined to send the money back
to him, but Father O'Leary persuaded me not to do so,
saying that I must be in a position to buy these things if I
obtained a commission, and that no doubt the money had
been given me, not for my own sake, but because he felt that
he owed it to me for some service rendered to him by my
father."
"It was an ungracious way of doing it," O'Sullivan said,
"but in your circumstances I should have taken the money
had it come from the old one himself. It is perhaps as well
that it should have been done in such a manner that you may
well feel you owe no great gratitude towards such a man."
"And how did you get over here?"
"There was no great difficulty about that. In spite of the
activity of the English cruisers, constant communication is
kept up between Ireland and France, and fortunately I had,
a short time before, made the acquaintance of one of your
officers, who was over there in disguise gathering recruits for
the Brigade."
"Yes, there are a good many agents in Ireland engaged in
that work. There is no difficulty in obtaining recruits, for
there is scarcely a young Irishman who does not long to be


8
m THE IRI8H BRIGADE
with his countrymen who have won such credit out here, and
many abstain from joining only because they do not know how
to set about it. The work of the agents, then, is principally
to arrange means for their crossing the channel. It is well
that the supply is steadily kept up, for I can assure you every
battle fought makes very heavy gaps in our ranks; but in
spite of that, three fresh regiments have been raised in the
last year, partly by fresh-comers from Ireland, and partly
by Irish deserters from Marlborough's regiments. But I am
interrupting your story."
"Well, after leaving Mr. O'Carroll and making my pre-
parations, I paid a visit to the cottage where the officer was
staying in disguise, and told him that I wanted to cross. He
gave instructions as to how to proceed. I was to go to a
certain street in Cork and knock at a certain door; when it
was opened I was to say, 'The sea is calm and the sky is
bright'. 'Then', he said,' you will be taken in hand and put
on board one of the craft engaged in the work of carrying our
recruits across the water. You will be landed at St. Malo,
where there is an agent of the Brigade who gives instructions
to the recruits as to how they are to proceed, supplies them
with money enough for the journey, and a man to accompany
each party and act as interpreter on the way.'
"I carried out his instructions, crossed the channel in a
lugger with thirty young peasants bound also for Paris, and
on landing at St. Malo took my place in the diligence for
Paris, having fortunately no need for an interpreter. On my
presenting my letter to the Marquis de Noailles he received
me with great kindness, and treated me as a guest until he
had obtained me a commission in your regiment. Now,
when are we likely to go on active service?"
"Soon, I expect," O'Neil said; "but whether we shall be
sent to the Peninsula or to Flanders no one knows; in fact it


FRESH FROM IRELAND
9
is likely enough that we shall for the present remain here un-
til it is seen how matters go, and where reinforcements will be
most required. It is but ten months since we came into
garrison in Paris, and we may therefore expect to be one of
the last regiments ordered off. For my part, I am in no par-
ticular hurry to exchange comfortable quarters and good liv-
ing and such adventures as may fall to the lot of a humble
subaltern for roughing it in the field, where, as has been the
case ever since the Brigade was formed, we get a good deal
more than our fair share of hard work and fighting."
"I should have thought that you would all have liked
that," Desmond said in some surprise.
"Enough is as good as a feast," the other said; "and when
you have done a few weeks' work in trenches before a town
you are besieging, stood knee-deep for hours in mud, soaked
to the skin with rain, and with the enemy's shot coming
through the parapet every half-minute or so, you will see that
it is not all fun and glory. Then, too, you see we have no
particular interest in the quarrels between Trance and Ger-
many. When we fight, we fight rather for the honour of the
Irish Brigade than for the glory of France. We have a grudge
against the Dutch, and fight them as interested parties, see-
ing that it was by his Dutch troops that William conquered
Ireland. As to the English troops, we have no particular
enmity against them. Cromwell's business is an old story,
and I don't suppose that the English soldier feels any par-
ticular love for Queen Anne, or any animosity against us;
and after all, we are nearer in blood to them than we are to
the Germans, Austrians, or Spaniards, for there are few even
of our oldest families who have not many times since the days
of Strongbow intermarried with the English settlers. At any
rate, there are still plenty of adherents of King James in
England and Scotland. We speak the same language and


10
m THE IRISH BRIGADE
form part of the same nation, and I own that I would rather
fight against any foreign foe than against them."
"So would I," Desmond said heartily. "Our only point of
difference is that we don't agree as to who should be king.
We want a Catholic king, and the majority of the English
want a Protestant king. We have fought on the subject, and
been beaten. Next time we hope that we may succeed. If
the king were to land in England again I would fight heart
and soul in his cause; but whether the French beat the
English in the present war, or the English beat the French,
will not, as far as I can see, make much difference to King
James, who, Father O'Leary tells me, is, in his opinion, sup-
ported here by the French king from no great love for him-
self, but because so long as James has adherents in Ireland,
Scotland, and England, he is able to play him off against the
English Government."
The other young men laughed.
"For heaven's sake, Kennedy, keep such sentiments as
these to yourself. It is a matter of faith in our brigade that
we are fighting in the cause of King James as against the
English usurper. Now that William is dead, and James's
daughter on the throne, matters are complicated somewhat;
and if the Parliament had settled the succession after Anne
on her brother there might have been an end of the quarrel
altogether. But now that they have settled it on Sophia of
Hanover, granddaughter of James I., and her descendants,
subject to the restriction that they shall be Protestants, the
quarrel does not seem likely to be healed."
"This priest of yours must be a dangerous man," O'Sulli-
van said.
"Not at all. I can assure you he is devoted to the king;
but as he told me, there is no use in Irishmen always closing
their eyes to the true state of things. He says that we must


FRESH FROM IRELAND
11
rely upon ourselves and our loyal friends in Scotland and
England, but that he is sure the king will never be placed on
his throne by French bayonets. A small auxiliary force may
be sent over, but in all these years Louis has made no real
effort to assist him, and even if for his own purposes he sent
a great army to England and placed him on the throne,
he would not be able to maintain himself there for a month
after the French had withdrawn, for even a rightful king
would be hated by the people upon whom he had been
forced by a foreign power, especially a power that had for
centuries been regarded as their chief enemy. If he had
been in earnest, Louis would have sent over a great army
instead of a few thousand men to Ireland, when such a
diversion would have turned the scale in our favour. As
he did not do so then, he is not likely to do so in the
future. The king is useful to him here by keeping up an
agitation that must to some extent cripple the strength of
England, but were a Stuart on the throne he would have to
listen to the wishes of the majority of his people, and France
would gain nothing by placing him there. Moreover, she
would lose the services of twenty thousand of her best soldiers,
for naturally the exiles would all return home, and what is
now the most valuable force in the French service might then
become an equally important one in the service of Britain."
"I am glad that this priest of yours remains quietly in
Kilkargan, for if he were to come here and expound his
views among our regiments he might cause quite a defection
among them. At any rate, Kennedy, I should advise you not
to take to propagating his views in the regiment. It would not
add to your comfort or ours, and there are a good many hot-
headed men who would take up the idea that you had been
infected by O'Carroll's principles."
"It would not be well for anyone to say as much to my


12
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
face," Desmond said. "Father O'Leary is loyal to the back-
bone, although he has his own ideas as to the hopelessness of
our obtaining any efficient help from Louis. He thinks that
it will be far better to trust to our friends at home, and that
even did Louis carry out his promises it would in the long
run harm rather than benefit King James."
"I am not saying that his view may not be correct, Ken-
nedy. I am only saying that the view would be a very unpopu-
lar one among the Brigade. We are fighting for France be-
cause we believe that France in turn will aid in placing our
rightful king on the throne, and if we once entertained the
notion that Louis was deceiving us, that he had no intention
of helping us, and that if he did place James on the throne he
would alienate all his sympathizers at home, we should ask
ourselves of what use was it spending our blood in fighting
the battles of France."
"At any rate, I will take your advice, O'Sullivan, and will
keep my lips sealed as to Father O'Leary's views. As you
see by my presence here, he has not convinced me, and as
long as there is a hope that by the aid of a French army we
may yet see our king come to his own again, I shall do my
best to prove myself a faithful soldier of France. I have
chosen my career with my eyes open. A loyal Irishman
cannot obtain employment, still less military employment, in
his own country, and accordingly we are to be found fighting
as soldiers of fortune in every country in Europe. At least
there is some chance that we may be benefiting the royal
cause by fighting for the country that gave King James
shelter and rendered him armed assistance in his struggle,
with the usurper, and will probably give aid more or less
efficient when the next attempt is made. In other countries
we are but soldiers of fortune; in France we may regard
ourselves as serving our own king by serving King Louis."


FRESH FROM IRELAND
13
"Do you speak French well, Kennedy?" O'Neil said,
changing the conversation abruptly.
"Yes. Father O'Leary took care of that, for I always said
that I should take service abroad as there was clearly nothing
else to do for a living, and consequently he generally talked
to me in that language, and I speak it as well as I do English
or Irish."
"You have not had much practice with the sword, I sup-
pose?"
"Not so much as I could wish, though I never lost an
opportunity of practising. There were several of the tenants
who served in the regiment James O'Carroll raised. I used
to practise with them, but I shall lose no time in getting the
best instruction I can here."
"You may want it, Kennedy. We are not particularly
liked by the French officers, because we are generally chosen
to lead an assault or for other desperate service. Duelling is
of course forbidden, but that in no way prevents duels from
being frequent. As for fighting in action, as far as I have
seen or heard, swordsmanship does not go for a great deal.
If you press on hard enough, and there are men following
you, the enemy give way generally before it comes to hand-
to-hand fighting. If, on the other hand, they are the more
numerous, and hold their position in the breach, it is the
musketry that settles it. It is only when two officers happen
to meet in a fierce fight that swordsmanship becomes of im-
portance.
"We have a good school in the regiment, and there are
several famous masters of fence in the town, so I should
advise you to give a couple of hours a day for a time to
making yourself a first-rate swordsman. I have just left off.
Our maitre d'armes tells me I am too hot-headed ever to make
a fine blade, but I should fancy, from the way you have been


14
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
arguing, that you are likely to be cooler than most of ub in a
fencing bout. It is the fault with us all that we are apt to
lose our tempers, and indeed Maitre Maupert, who is the best
teacher here, declines absolutely to take any of us as pupils,
saying that while we may do excellently well in battle, he
can never hope to make first-class fencers of men who cannot
be relied upon to keep their heads cool, and to fight with
pointed weapons as calmly as they might fence with a friend
in a saloon."
"Well, I shall work hard to become a fair swordsman,"
Desmond said with a laugh. "I suppose there is plenty of
time to spare."
"Plenty. We have a couple of hours' drill in the morning,
and after that, except when you are officer of the day, you
can spend your time as you like. The colonel and two of his
officers attend at the king's levees when he is in Paris, but as
he spends the greater portion of his time at Versailles we are
seldom called upon for that duty."
A few days after Desmond's arrival the colonel took him
with him to St. Germain, where James III, as his supporters
called him, held a miniature court. The colonel presented
Desmond as a loyal subject of His Majesty and a newly-
joined cornet in his regiment. The young prince was a lad of
eighteen. He was surrounded by a group of courtiers who
had accompanied or followed his father into exile, and whose
insistence upon treating him with the respect due to a mon-
arch was in no slight degree galling to him, for as he often de-
clared to the few friends he had about his own age, he had all
the disadvantages of being a king without any of the advanta-
ges. He was at once taken with the appearance of Desmond
Kennedy.
"Ah, Monsieur Kennedy," he said, after the ceremony of
presentation had been completed, "I wish that I had all my


FRESH FROM IRELAND
15
faithful subjects of the Irish Brigade across the water with
me, and that I could put on a uniform like yours and fight at
their head for my rights."
"I would that you had, Sire; it would be a good day for us
all; and believe me, that either in Ireland or Scotland you
would soon find yourself at the head of an army many times
more numerous than our brigade."
"They all tell me that I must wait," the young prince said
with a sigh, "but I have been waiting a long time now, and
it seems no nearer than when I was a child. However, the
King of France has promised me that it cannot be much
longer, and that, when Marlborough is defeated and his army
driven back across the sea, he will send a fleet and an army to
place me on my throne."
"We shall all rejoice indeed when that time comes, Sire,
and I am sure there is not a man in the Irish Brigade who
will not follow you to the death, and serve you as faithfully
as many of them did your royal father."
"I hope you will come here often, Monsieur Kennedy. I
am sure that I shall like you very much, and I think that
you would always say what you thought and tell me the real
truth about things."
"Sire!" one of the older men exclaimed reproachfully.
"I mean no reflection on any one, Dillon. You all say
what I am sure you feel, but you have grown accustomed
to waiting, and all think of what is politic, and complain that
I speak too frankly. Monsieur Kennedy comes straight from
Ireland, and he is not old enough yet to have learned to meas-
ure his words, and will not be always afraid that anything
he may say will be carried to the king. How I wish that
the king would send me with Marshal Tallard!"
"That would never do, Sire. The English are your sub-
jects, and they would never forgive you if you were to ap-


16
ES THE IRISH BRIGADE
pear in the field with a French army, fighting against
them."
"But the Irish Brigade fight, Dillon?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, but they are in the service of France,
and by the terms of the treaty of Limerick were allowed to
expatriate themselves and to enter the French service. We
have, in fact, renounced our nationality with the consent of
the English, and if taken prisoners could only be treated as
captured foes and not as traitors. Of course when Your
Majesty ascends the throne we shall again become British
subjects."
"I trust that that may come soon, Dillon, and for your sake
rather than my own. When the time comes you will not find
me backward, but this weary waiting tries me sorely, and
were it not for those who have remained faithful to our cause,
I would gladly resign such chances as I have of succeeding
to the throne of England and take a commission in the
Irish Brigade."
Dillon and some of the elder men shook their heads.
"Can you wonder?" the young prince said passionately.
"Here is Master Kennedy, who is younger than myself,
though a free life and exercise have made him a man in com-
parison to me; he has his life before him, he will bear his part
in many a pitched battle, and doubtless in many a private
adventure. He is his own master, and as long as he does his
duty there are none to say, you must not do that, you must
not say that, you must preserve your dignity, you must
speak softly and discreetly, you must wait patiently. I envy
you, Master Kennedy, I envy you from the bottom of my
heart! Come often to see me, you will always be welcome;"
and, turning abruptly away, he left the chamber hurriedly to
conceal the tears which filled his eyes. His counsellors shook
their heads solemnly, but Colonel O'Brien said warmly;


FRESH FROM IRELAND
17
"What the king says is natural for a man of his age, and,
for my part, it has increased my respect for him. I say it
without offence, but what could be duller than the life this
lad leads here? He has been brought up literally without a
pleasure. His late Majesty, heaven rest his soul! was absorbed
in his religious exercises, and nothing could have been more
trying to a boy than a court in which the priests and con-
fessors were practically supreme. Since his father's death
things have been but little better, and now I see that at heart
the young king has plenty of spirit and energy, I can feel
that his life has been that of a caged hawk, and I am not
surprised that he occasionally breaks out into revolt against
it. It would, methinks, do him a world of good had he a few
companions about his own age like Ensign Kennedy. I would
even say that although I can quite understand that as King
of England he could not well take a commission in one of
our regiments, he might at least be placed with one of our
most experienced and honoured colonels in order to learn
miitary exercises and to mix with the officers as any other
nobleman might do when attached to the regiment."
Murmurs of dissent arose among the counsellors.
"Well, gentlemen," the colonel went on, " I have no desire
to interfere with your functions, but in my opinion it is
good that a king should also be a general. Did anyone
think any the worse of Dutch William that he was able to
command his army personally? None of us can believe
that King James will ever succeed to the inheritance of his
fathers without fighting, and it would be well indeed that he
should not appear as a puppet, but as one qualified to com-
mand. It was the fault, or rather the misfortune, of his
father that he was unfit to lead his troops in the field. Had
he been able to do so he would in all probability have died
King of England instead of as a fugitive and a pensioner of
(MM8) b


18
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
King Louis. In one way it grieves me to see that the young
king feels his position acutely, but, on the other hand, I am
rejoiced to see that he is in no way lacking in spirit, and that
he longs to be out of his cage and to try his wings for him-
self. Well, gentlemen, having had my say I will take my
leave of you, as duty calls me back to my regiment. I trust
that the frankness with which I have spoken will not be mis-
understood."
So saying, with a bow to the courtiers he left the room,
followed by Kennedy.
"They mean well," he said, after they had mounted and
ridden off at a gallop, " but it is a pity that these gentlemen,
all loyal and honourable men as they are, should surround
the young king. They suited well enough to the mood of his
father, who was always wanting in spirit, and was broken
down not only by the loss of his kingdom, but by the conduct
of his daughters, and what with that and his devotion to
religion he was rather a monk than a monarch. He believed
—but most mistakenly—that he had a genius for politics, and
was constantly intriguing with his adherents at home, nota-
bly Marlborough and other lords, from whom he obtained fair
words and promises 01 support, but nothing else. But though
he could plan, he did not possess a spark of energy, and was
one of the most undecided of men, though, like most un-
decided men, he could be extremely obstinate, and unfortu-
nately, the more wrong he was the more obstinately he held
to his course. However, all this can make no difference in our
devotion to the Stuart cause; but I hail with satisfaction the
prospect that in his son we may have one to whom we may
feel personally loyal, for there can be no doubt that men
will fight with more vigour for a person to whom they are
attached than for an abstract idea."
"I have heard Father O'Leary say the same, sir. His


FRESH FROM IRELAND
19
opinion was that had the late king possessed the qualities
that commanded the personal admiration and fidelity of his
followers, and excited something like enthusiasm among the
people at large, he would never have lost his throne, nor
could he have led his armies as did Gustavus or Charles XII
of Sweden, would William of Orange ever have ventured to
cross to England."
"It was a bad business altogether, lad. His cause was
practically lost from the day that William set foot upon Eng-
lish soil; he had in reality no personal friends, and those who
would have remained faithful to the cause were paralyzed by
his indecision and feebleness. Charles the Martyr made many
mistakes, but he had the passionate adherence of his follow-
ers; his personality and his noble appearance did as much for
him as the goodness of his cause, while his son James repelled
rather than attracted personal devotion. I trust that his
grandson will inherit some of his qualities. His outburst to-
day gave me hope that he will do so. but one must not build
too much on that. It may have been only the pettishness of a
young man sick of the constant tutelage to which he is sub-
jected and the ennui of the life he leads, rather than the
earnestness of a noble spirit. Of course, Kennedy, I need not
tell you that it would be well to make no mention to anyone
of the scene that you have witnessed."
"I shall certainly make no mention of it to anyone, sir. I
am sorry indeed for the young king. His life must be a dread-
ful one, conscious of the impossibility of breaking the bonds
in which he is held, and knowing that his every word and
action will be reported by spies to the King of France."
For three months Desmond Kennedy worked hard at drill
and sword exercise. He became a general favourite in the
regiment owing to hh good temper, high spirits, and readiness
to join in everything that was going on. He went over


20
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
several times to St. Germain. At first the king's counsellors
looked but coldly upon him, and he would have ceased to
come there had it not been for the unaffected pleasure shown
by the king at his visits. In time, however, two of the
principal men at the little court requested him to have a
conversation with them before going into the king's chamber.
"You will understand, Mr. Kennedy," one of them said,
when they had seated themselves in a quiet spot in the gar-
den, " that we, standing in the position of His Majesty's coun-
sellors, are in a position of great responsibility. His Majesty,
as we admit is but natural, chafes over the inaction to which
he is condemned by circumstances, and is apt at times to
express his desire for action in terms which, if they came to
the ears of King Louis, as we have every reason to believe is
sometimes the case, would do him and the cause serious
injury. Naturally we should be glad for him to have com-
panions of his own age, but it behoves us to be most careful
that such companionship should not add to our difficulties in
this direction, and we should view with satisfaction a friend-
ship between the young king and one who, like yoursef, is
nearly of his own age and, as we can see, full of spirit and en-
ergy. In these matters the king is deficient, but it would be bet-
ter that he should for the present remain as he is, rather than
that he should, in acquiring more manly habits, grow still
more impatient and discontented with his position.
"We have naturally taken some little trouble in finding out
how you stand in your regiment, and we hear nothing but
good of you You are much liked by your comrades, pay the
greatest attention to your military exercises, and are regarded
as one who will some day do much credit to the regiment, and
we feel that in most respects your influence could not but be
advantageous to the young king; but the good that this might
do him would be more than balanced were you to render him


FKESH FROM IRELAND
21
still more impatient than he is for action. You may well
suppose that we, exiles as we have been for so many years
from our country, are not less impatient than he for the day of
action, but we know that such action must depend upon the
King of France, and not upon ourselves. We would gladly
risk all in an effort to place him on the throne of England, to
repair past injustices and cruel wrongs; but, were we to move
without the assistance of Louis, instead of achieving that
object we might only bring fresh ruin, confiscations, and death
upon the royalists of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Are
you of our opinion?"
"Completely so, sir. Of course I know but little of what is
passing save in the neighbourhood where I have been brought
up; but I know that there, even among the king's most
devoted adherents, there is a feeling that nothing can possibly
be done until France lends her aid in earnest. The English
army is far stronger than it was when we were last in arms
and when William had to rely almost entirely upon his Dutch
troops and Dutch generals, while the friends of the Stuarts
are almost without arms, without leaders, and without
organization."
"That is good, Mr. Kennedy; and if we were to sanction
King James's forming an intimacy with you, can I understand
that we could rely upon your not using your influence to add
to his impatience for action and discontent with his present
position?"
"Certainly, sir; being so recently from Ireland I could
assure him that even his most devoted adherents there are of
opinion that no rising could be attended with success unless
backed by French arms, and especially by the aid of the Irish
Brigade, which has already won such renown for itself, and
whose appearance would excite the greatest enthusiasm among
all Irishmen."


22
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"In that case, Mr. Kennedy, so far from throwing any
difficulties in the way of His Majesty seeking-your companion-
ship, we shall encourage him, and shall be glad to see you here
as often as your military duties will permit."
CHAPTER H
A VALIANT BAND
rjlHE permission was not attended with the result that the
young prince's counsellors had hoped. For a time James
showed a lively pleasure when Desmond rode over to St. Ger-
main, walked with him in the gardens, and talked to him alone
in his private apartments, and professed a warm friendship for
him; but Desmond was not long in discovering that his first
estimate of the prince's character had been wholly erroneous,
and that his outburst at their first meeting had been the result
of pique and irritation rather than any real desire to lead a
more active life. Upon the contrary he was constitutionally
indolent and lethargic. There were horses at his command,
but it was seldom indeed that he would take the trouble to
cross the saddle although walking was distasteful to him. Even
when speaking of his hopes of ascending the throne of Eng-
land he spoke without enthusiasm, and said one day, " It is a
pity that it cannot be managed without fuss and trouble. I
hate trouble."
"Nothing can be done worth doing, without trouble, Your
Majesty," Desmond said sturdily. "It almost seems to me
that if everything could be had without trouble it would not
be worth having."
"How do you mean, Mr. Kennedy?"
"I may illustrate it by saying, Sire, that no true fisherman
would care about angling in a pond close to his house and so


A VALIANT BAND
full of fish that he had but to drop a baited hook into the
water to bring up one immediately. The pleasure of fishing
consists largely in the hard work that it demands; it is per-
haps miles to a stream across the hills, and a long day's work
may produce but a half-dozen fish, but these the angler
prizes in proportion to the trouble he has had to get them. I
think that were I born heir to a throne I would rather that it
should cost me hardship, toil, and danger to obtain it, than
walk into a cathedral a few days after my father's death and
there be crowned."
"I do not agree with you at all," James said, shortly; "if
anything could not be had without toil, hardship, and dan-
ger, as you say, I would willingly go without it."
"Then, Sire, I can only hope that the toil and danger may
be borne by your devoted followers, and that you may be
spared them personally."
James looked sharply up at his companion to gather
whether the words were spoken sarcastically, but Desmond's
face, though flushed, was calm and serious. Nevertheless, in-
dolent as he was, James felt that the words were a reproof, that
although he had at first liked him, there was in reality little in
common between him and this energetic young fellow, and
the next time he came he received him with much less cordial-
ity than before; while Desmond, who was beginning to tire of
the companionship of one who lacked alike the fun and hu-
mour and the restless activity of his comrades Patrick and
Phelim, and who saw that the professions of James's friend-
ship were but short-lived, came over to St. Germain less fre-
quently, until at last he only rode over with his colonel, or
when some duty called him there.
"So you have been a failure, Master Kennedy," the coun-
sellor who had first spoken to him said one day, when the
change in the king's manner became evident to them all.


24
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"I am afraid bo, sir," Desmond replied with a smile. "I
have no doubt that it was my fault. Perhaps I was not
patient enough with him; but indeed my efforts to rouse him
to take exercise, to practise in arms, and so on, were so ill
received that I felt I was doing more harm than good."
"I was afraid that it would be so," the other said regretfully.
"You see, during his later years his father gave up his time
almost entirely to religious observances, and consequently the
lad's life was very dull and monotonous. Constitutionally he
undoubtedly takes after his father, who, with all his virtues,
was at once indolent and undecided. We have observed with
regret his disinclination to bestir himself in any way. Seeing
that we, who were his father's companions, are too old or too
much disheartened to be lively companions for him, we had
hoped that the talk of one of spirit and of his own age might
have roused him to make some exertions to overcome his
disinclination for anything like active exercise. I think now,
however, that we were wrong, that the tonic was too strong,
that he could not but feel that your abundance of spirits and
life were too much for him, and that the companion he needs
is one who could to some extent sympathize with him, and
who could perhaps make more allowance for the manner in
which he has been brought up. We do not blame you at all.
I am sure that you have done your best. But it is evident
that the contrast between you and himself has been too strong
a one; and that, feeling he cannot hope to emulate your
soldierly activity, he has come to resent it as a sort of reflec-
tion upon himself."
Desmond was by no means sorry at being relieved of the
necessity of paying frequent visits to St. Germain. In the
first place, he begrudged the time that was taken from his
fencing lessons, at which he had worked enthusiastically; and
in the next, he had felt, after two or three visits, that between








A VALIANT BAND
25
himself and the young king there was really nothing in com-
mon. Full of life and spirits himself, it seemed to him noth-
ing short of disgraceful that one who aspired to rule should
take no pains whatever to fit himself for a throne, or to culti-
vate qualities that would render himself popular among a
high-spirited people. And as he came to understand James
more thoroughly, he had found his visits increasingly irk-
some, all the more so as he felt their inutility.
"Thank goodness," he said to his two friends when he went
home that day, "I have done with St. Germain. I am as
warm an adherent as ever of the cause of the Stuarts, and
should be perfectly ready, when the time comes, to fight my
hardest for them; but I would vastly rather fight for the
king than converse with him."
"I suppose, by what I have seen of him, that he must be
somewhat wearisome," Phelim O'Sullivan said with a laugh.
"Fortunately wit and gaiety are not essential qualities on the
part of a monarch; but I must own that treasonable as it
may sound, I fear His Majesty is lacking in other qualities
far more essential in a monarch. I should say that he is
kindly and well disposed, he wishes to be fair and just, and
may turn out a wise ruler; but he is altogether deficient in
energy. I suppose there is no occasion for a king safely
seated upon a throne to be energetic, but a prince in exile
should possess the qualities that excite enthusiasm and bind
men to him. Possibly the qualities King James possesses would
be highly valued by the Scotch, but they would certainly
fail to inspire our people."
"Yes," Patrick O'Neil agreed, "his father did more to ruin
his cause in Ireland that all William's Dutch generals and
troops together. It was disheartening to be risking life and
possessions for a man who would do nothing for himself,
whose indecision paralysed our leaders, and who, the moment


26
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
a reverse came, sought safety in flight instead of taking his
place among the men who were devoted to his cause. I can un-
derstand that in England, where the majority of those who
professed to be devoted to him were betraying him, and were
in secret communication with William, he should be by turns
obstinate and vacillating; but in Ireland, where every man
who surrounded him was risking his life in his cause, he
should have shown absolute confidence in them, listened to
their advice, set an example of personal gallantry and courage,
and at least remained among them until all was definitely
lost. It was the desertion of James rather than the loss
of the battle of the Boyne that ruined his cause.
"Well, I am glad you are out of it, for it was a pity that
you should be going without your work at the salle d'armes
when you were making such progress that, the master re-
ported, in a few months you would become one of the best
swordsmen in the regiment."
There were in Paris many Irish officers besides those be-
longing to Colonel O'Brien's regiment. These were for the
most part men who had been severely wounded in the prece-
ding campaign, and who now remained in the capital with
the depots of their regiments. These were constantly re-
cruited by fresh arrivals from Ireland, by which means the
Irish Brigade was not only kept up to their original strength,
in spite of the heavy losses they suffered in the engagements
in which they had taken part, but largely increased its force,
new regiments being constantly formed. Naturally O'Brien's
corps, being the only complete regiment in Paris at the
time, was regarded as the head-quarters and general meeting-
place of all the Irish officers there, and as some of these had
campaigned in Flanders, in Italy, and in Spain, Desmond
learned from their talk and anecdotes far more of the doings
of the Brigade than he had hitherto known. From the first


A VALIANT BAND
27
they had, by their reckless bravery in almost every engage-
ment that had taken place, so distinguished themselves that
they received the highest commendation from the French
generals, and were almost invariably selected for specially
dangerous service.
"I think the hottest affair I was ever engaged in," a
major who had served in Burke's regiment said one evening,
when some ten or twelve of his companions had gathered at
the room which was the general meeting-place of the officers
of the corps, "was at the attack on Cremona by Eugene.
You have all heard how our regiment and that of Dillon
distinguished themselves there, but you may not have heard
particulars. The place was a strong one, and it was garrisoned
by some 4000 men—all French with the exception of our two
regiments. Marshal Villeroy was himself in command, an
excellent officer, but, as is often the case in the French army,
very badly served by his subordinates.
"Here, as you know, almost everything goes by influence;
and the generals are surrounded by men who have been
forced upon them by powerful persons whom they cannot
afford to disoblige. The consequence was that, relying upon
the strength of the place, no proper watch was set. There
were guards, indeed, at the gates, but with no communication
with each other; no soldiers on the ramparts; no patrols were
sent out beyond the town, or maintained in the streets. No
harm might have come of this had it not been that treachery
was at work. There was a scoundrel who was brother of
the priest of one of the parishes near the wall, and both were
in favour of the enemy. The priest's residence was near a
sewer which communicated with the moat outside the walls.
The entrance was closed by an iron grating. Were this
removed, troops could enter by the sewer into the priest's
wine-cellar. The priest, being promised a large sum of


28
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
money, set to work. First he laid a complaint before the gov-
ernor that the sewer was choked with filth, which might be a
source of disease to the town unless removed, and to do this
it was necessary that the grating should be taken down. Be-
ing altogether unsuspicious of evil the governor granted his
request.
"As soon as the grating was removed Eugene despatched
eight miners, who crossed the moat at night, made their way
up the sewer, and opened a communication between it and the
priest's house. When all was ready four or five hundred
picked grenadiers entered, and were concealed in the house
of the priest and other adherents of the emperor. Eu-
gene set two strong bodies of picked troops in motion; the one
was to enter by the St. Margaret gate, which would be
seized by the force already in the city; this column consisted
of five thousand men. The second force of two thousand
infantry and three thousand cavalry under the Prince de
Vaudemont was to cross the river by a bridge of boats. We
slept like stupid dogs; such watchmen as there were on the
walls gave no alarm. The gate of All Saints was seized, its
guard being instantly overpowered, and a party of engineers
broke down the gate of St. Margaret, which had been walled
up; and at daylight Eugene rode into the town, followed by
his troops and one thousand cavalry, while another
mounted force watched the gate and the country round to
prevent the escape of fugitives.
"Before any alarm was given Eugene had established him-
self at the Hotel de Ville, was master of the great street that
separated half the garrison from the other half, had taken
possession of the cathedral, and in fact the place was captured
without a shot being fired. Then the uproar began. Parties
of troops, led by natives of the town, seized a large number of
officers at their lodgings; and as the alarm spread, the troops


A VALIANT BAND
29
seized their muskets and rushed out, only to be sabred and
trodden down by the enemy's cavalry. I was asleep and
dreaming when my servant rushed into my room and said:
"' The Germans are in possession of the town, Captain.'
"' You are a blathering idiot,' I said.
"'It's true, your honour. Get up and listen.'
"Very unwillingly I got out of bed and opened the window,
and by the holy poker I found that Pat was right. There
was a sound of firing, shouting, and screaming, and I heard
the gallop of a heavy body of horsemen, and directly after-
wards a squadron of German cuirassiers came galloping
down the street.
"' It is time for us to be out of this, Pat,' I said, and
jumped into my clothes quicker than I had ever done before.
"We went downstairs, and I borrowed two overcoats that
we found hanging there, and put them on over our uniforms.
Then we went out by the back-door, and ran as hard as we
could, keeping through narrow lanes, to the barracks. On
my way I had to pass a barrier near a toll-gate. Here there
were thirty-six of our men under a sergeant. Not knowing
where the enemy were, or whether they were between me and
the barracks, I thought it best to stay there, and of course
took the command. Just as I had done so I heard the tramp-
ing of cavalry, and had the gate shut. We were just in
time, for two hundred and fifty cuirassiers came galloping
along.
"Their leader, Baron de Mercy, as soon as the troops began
to enter St. Margaret's gate, was ordered to dash round and
capture the Po gate, through which Vaudemont's corps would,
after crossing the bridge, enter the town. He shouted to me
to surrender, promising us our lives. I told him that if ho
wanted the place he would have to come and take it. He
used language which I need not repeat, but he did not attack


30 IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
us, waiting for the arrival of four hundred infantry who had
been ordered to follow him. They were some time in coming
up, having lost their way owing to the rascally native who
was their guide being killed by a shot from a window. I was
not sorry for the delay, for it gave us time to look at matters
quietly, and prepare for defence. Another six hundred
cavalry now came up, and Mercy placed them so as to cut
off altogether the French cavalry, who were quartered away
to the right; then he ordered the infantry to attack us.
"Our position was a good one; the barricade was formed of
square piles driven into the ground with small narrow open-
ings between them. I ordered the men to keep behind the
timbers until the enemy came up. The Germans opened a
murdering fire as they approached, but though the bullets
pattered like rain against the palisades, and whistled in
between them, not a man was touched. I waited till they
were within two paces, and then gave the word, and you may
well guess that there was not a bullet thrown away, and the
Germans, mightily astonished, drew back, leaving nigh forty
of their men behind them. Then, falling back a bit, they
opened fire upon us, but it was a game that two could play at.
We could see them, but they could not see us; and while we
loaded our muskets in shelter, they were exposed, and we
picked them off by dozens.
"The firing had of course given the alarm to our two regi-
ments, who turned out just as they were, in their night-shirts.
Major O'Mahony, who was in command of Dillon's regiment,
as Lally was away on leave, luckily made his way in safety
from his lodgings to the barracks, got his own men in order,
while Colonel Wauchop, who commanded our regiment, took
the command of the two battalions. Fortunately a portion of
the regiment had been ordered to fall in early for inspection,
and this gave time for the rest to get into their uniforms; and


A VALIANT BAND
31
as soon as they were ready Wauehop led them out and fell
suddenly upon a portion of Mercy's force, poured in a volley,
and then charged them. Horse and foot fell back before
the attack. Then they turned the cannon on the ramparts,
and thus secured possession of the Po gate, and, pushing on,
the guns helping them, drove the Austrians from the houses
they occupied, and so opened communications with the French
cavalry.
"A brigadier now came up and ordered the battalions to
barricade all the streets they had won with barrels and carts.
A French regiment arrived and occupied the church of St.
Salvador and the battery which commanded the bridge,
across which Vaudemont's corps could now be seen approach-
ing. The redoubt on the other side of the bridge was only
held by fifty men, and they were now strengthened by a
hundred of the French soldiers. The Austrians approached,
making sure that the town had already been taken, and look-
ing out for a signal that was to be hoisted. Their astonish-
ment was great when a heavy musketry fire was opened upon
them by the garrison of the outpost, while the guns of the
battery on the wall plunged their shot in among them.
"The column was at once halted. Eugene had regarded
the struggle as over, when news was brought to him of the de-
feat of Mercy's corps by the Irish. Everywhere else things
had gone most favourably. Marshal Villeroy had been
wounded and made prisoner; his marechal de camp shared
the same fate. The Chevalier D'Entregues, who advanced to
meet the enemy, was defeated and killed, as was Lieutenant-
General de Trenan, and the Spanish Governor of the town
mortally wounded. On receiving the news, Eugene at once
sent an officer to inspect the Irish position; but his report was
that they were too well placed to be driven from it. He then
sent Captain MacDonnell, an officer in his service, to offer, if


82
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
the Irish would leave their position, to enrol them in the Aus-
trian service, with higher pay than they now received.
"You may guess the sort of answer he received, and he
was at once arrested for bringing such a message to them.
Eugene then endeavoured to engage Marshal Villeroy to order
the Irish to lay down their arms, as further resistance would
only end in their slaughter. Villeroy simply replied that as a
prisoner he could no longer give orders. During this pause
the Count de Revel and the Marquis de Queslin succeeded in
gathering together a considerable number of the scattered
French infantry, and with these they marched to endeavour to
recover the gates that had been lost, and having occupied
the church of Santa Maria and a bastion near the gate of All
Saints, ordered the Irish to leave a hundred men at the
barricades, and with the rest to push forward to the gate of
Mantua. So I found myself in command of a full company.
"O'Mahony was now in command of the two regiments, as
Wauchop had been wounded. It was pretty hard work they
had of it, and they suffered heavily in carrying the guard-
house, held by two hundred Austrians. Eugene now launched
a great force against our people, and attacked them on all
sides, but O'Mahony faced them each way, and received the
charge of the cuirassiers with so heavy a fire that they fled in
disorder. Another corps of cuirassiers came up, and these
charged with such fury that their leader, Monsieur de Frei-
berg, pushed his way into the middle of Dillon's regiment,
where he was surrounded, and, refusing quarter, was killed,
and his men, disheartened by the fall of their leader, fled,
carrying with them the infantry who were ranged in their
rear.
"But our men were now exhausted by their exertions, and
suffered heavily; and O'Mahony, seeing that he was likely
to be attacked by fresh troops, and that my post guarding


A VALIANT BAND
33
the approach of the Po gate would then be left altogether
unsupported, returned to it. I was glad enough when I saw
them coming, for it was mighty trying work being left there
and hearing the storm of battle going on all round, and know-
ing that at any moment we might be attacked. They did not
stop long, for orders came from Revel, who had captured the
gate of All Saints and was preparing to attack St. Margaret's,
to march again to the gate of Mantua. It seemed a hopeless
enterprise. Captain Dillon of Dillon's regiment marched out
and, after hard fighting, drove the Austrians from house to
house; but on reaching a spot where the ground was open he
was attacked on all sides, and for a time the enemy and our
men were mixed up together in a melee."
"I could hear by the sound of the firing that our men were
returning, and posted my fellows so as to cover their retreat;
and as they came back hotly pressed by the enemy, we opened
so warm a fire that they passed in through the gate of the
barrier in safety, but only half as strong as they had gone out.
As soon as they were in, they aided us in strengthening the
position. Seeing that Vaudemont's corps was on the point of
attacking the redoubt, the Marquis de Queslin sent orders to
the little garrison there to withdraw across the bridge and
destroy the boats. This they effected in spite of the heavy fire
kept up by the enemy. In the meantime fighting had been
going on all over the town; the gate of Mantua had been held
by Captain Lynch of Dillon's battalion and thirty-five men.
As soon as he heard the din of battle in the town, he collected
a few fugitives, entrenched his position at the guard-house,
and maintained it for the whole day; not only that, but, find-
ing that his position was commanded by a party of Austrians
who had taken post in the church of St. Marie close by, he sal-
lied out, drove them from the church, and maintained possession
of that as well until, late in the afternoon, he was reinforced
(MM8) c


84
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
by two companies of our regiment, who made their way this
time without opposition.
"The enemy fell back but not unmolested, as, sallying out,
we pressed hotly upon them. There now remained only the
gate of St, Margaret in the hands of the Austrians. Here
a large body of troops had been stationed, and succeeded in
repulsing the repeated attacks made upon them by Revel's
force. The fight had now lasted for eleven hours, and the po-
sition of the Austrians had become critical. The desperate
resistance of our men had entirely changed the position. They
had repulsed every attack upon them, had given time for the
scattered French to gather, and the one gate remaining in
Eugene's possession was seriously threatened. Vaudemont's
corps was helpless on the other side of the river, and could
render no assistance, and Eugene gave the order for his troops
to retire, which they did in good order. It had been a hot
day indeed for us, and we were only too glad to see them go.
We had lost three hundred and fifty men out of the six hun-
dred with which we began the fight; altogether the garrison
had lost in killed, wounded, and in prisoners, fourteen hun-
dred men and officers, while Eugene's loss was between fifteen
and sixteen hundred.
"Personally I have had hotter fighting, but taking the day
altogether it was the most terrible through which I have ever
passed. Throughout the day we were in total ignorance of
what was going on elsewhere, though we knew by the firing
in other parts of the town that the French there had not
been overpowered, and each time the regiments left us I was
expecting every moment to be attacked by an overwhelming
force; faith it was enough to make one's hair white! How-
over, I have no reason to grumble. I obtained great praise
for the defence of the barrier, and was given my majority;
and if it had not been for the wound I received two years ago,


A VALIANT BAND
35
which incapacitated me from active service, I might now be
in command of the regiment."
"Yes, indeed," another officer said, "it was truly a gallant
affair; and although our men had fought equally as well in
many another engagement, it was their conduct at Cremona
that attracted the greatest attention, and showed the French
the value of the Brigade. I would we had always been em-
ployed in actions on which we could look back with the same
pride and pleasure as we can upon Cremona and a long list of
battles where we bore the brunt of the fighting, and never
failed to be specially mentioned with praise by the general.
The most unpleasant work that I ever did was when under
Marshal de Catinat. Eight Irish battalions were sent up in
1694 from Pignerolle into the valley of La Perouse to oppose
the Vaudois, who had always offered a vigorous resistance to
the passage of our troops through their passes. They were
wild mountaineers, and Huguenots to a man, who had, I be-
lieve, generations ago been forced to fly from France and take
refuge in the mountains, and maintained themselves sturdily
against various expeditions sent against them.
"I own the business was not at all to my taste, and many
others of our officers shared my opinions. It was too much
like what we remembered so bitterly at home, when William's
troopers pursued our fugitives to the hills, burning, destroy-
ing, and killing, and, above all, hunting down the priests.
This was the other way, but was as cruel and barbarous. The
poor people had given no offence save that they held to their
own religion. An Irishman should be the last to blame another
for that, and, seeing they had successfully opposed the efforts
of the French to root them out, it was much against my will
that I marched with my regiment. I hope that when it comes
to fighting against regular troops, of whatever nationality, I
am ready to do my work, but to carry fire and sword among


36
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
a quiet people in little mountain villages went against the
grain. It seemed to us that it was to be a massacre rather
than fighting, but there we were mistaken; it was the hardest
work that I ever went through. It was impossible in such a
country to move in large bodies, and we were broken up into
small parties, which advanced into the hills, each under its
own commander, without any fixed plans save to destroy
every habitation, to capture or kill the flocks of goats, which
afforded the inhabitants their chief means of subsistence, and
to give no quarter wherever they resisted.
"Even now I shudder at the thought of the work we had
to do; climbing over pathless hills, wading waist-deep through
mountain torrents, clambering along on the face of precipices
where a false step meant death, and always exposed to a
dropping fire from invisible foes, who, when we arrived at the
spot from which they had fired, had vanished and taken up a
fresh position, so that the whole work had to be done over
again. Sometimes we were two or even more days without
food, for, as you may imagine, it was impossible to transport
provisions, and we had nothing save what we carried in our
haversacks at starting. We had to sleep on the soaked ground
in pitiless storms; many men were carried away and drowned
in crossing the swollen torrents; our clothes were never dry,
and the worst of it was, after six weeks of such work we felt
that we were no nearer to the object for which we had been
sent up than we were when we started.
"It was true that we had destroyed many of their little
villages, but as these generally consisted of but a few houses,
only rough buildings that could be rebuilt in a few days, the
gain was not a substantial one. We had, of course, killed
some of the Vaudois, but our loss had been much heavier
than theirs, for, active as our men were, they were no match
in speed for these mountaineers, who were as nimble as their


A VALIANT BAND
37
own goats, knew everything of the country, and could appear
or disappear, as it seemed to us, almost by magic. It was a
wretched business, and once or twice when our parties were
caught in the narrow ravines they were overwhelmed by rocks
thrown down from above, so that on the whole we lost almost
as many men as we should have done in a pitched battle,
gaining no credit, nor having the satisfaction that we were
doing good service to France.
"I hope I may never be employed in a business like that
again. It was not only the Vaudois that we had to fight,
for, seeing that at first we were pushing forward steadily, the
Duke of Savoy, under whose protection they lived, sent six
hundred regular troops to assist them, and these, who were
well commanded, adopted the same tactics as the peasants,
avoiding all our attempts to bring on an engagement, and
never fighting except when they had us to great advantage.
As a rule our men were always dissatisfied when they received
orders to fall back, but I think that there was not a man
among us but was heartily glad when we were recalled to re-
join Catinat at Pignerolle."
The expedition, however, although altogether unsuccessful
in rooting out the Vaudois, created such terrible devastation
in the mountains and valleys that the Irish name and nation
will long remain odious to the Vaudois. Six generations have
since passed away, but neither time nor subsequent calamities
have obliterated the impression made by the waste and deso-
lation of this military incursion.
"You were at Blenheim, were you not, Captain O'Donovan?"
"Yes. A tough fight it was, and a mismanaged one. I
was in the Earl of Clare's regiment, which, with Lee and
Dorrington's battalions, was stationed with the force in
Oberglau in the centre of our position. It seemed to us and to
our generals that our position was almost impregnable. It


38
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
lay along a ridge, at the foot of which was a rivulet and deep
swampy ground. On the right of the position was the village
of Blenheim, held by twenty-seven battalions of good French
infantry, twelve squadrons, and twenty-four pieces of cannon.
Strong entrenchments-had been thrown up round our posi-
tion, but these were not altogether completed. Blenheim,
moreover, had been surrounded by very heavy and strong pali-
sades altogether impassable by infantry, and as the allies
could not hope to get cannon across the stream and swamps,
it seemed to defy any attack. From Oberglau the army of
Marshal de Marcin and the elector stretched to the village of
Lutzingen. We had some five-and-twenty cannon at Ober-
glau. The weak point, as it afterwards turned out to be,
was the crest between us and Blenheim. Considering that
both the artillery and musketry fire from both villages swept
the slope, and as in numbers we equalled the enemy, it was
thought well-nigh impossible for him to cross the swamps and
advance to the attack; and almost the whole of the French
cavalry were massed on the crest in order to charge them
should they succeed in crossing and try to ascend the slope.
"At first the battle went altogether favourably. We had
opposite to us the English, Dutch, Hanoverians, and Danish
troops under Marlborough, while facing our left were Prus-
sians, Imperialists, and other German troops under Eugene.
Marlborough's Danish and Hanoverian cavalry first crossed,
but were at once charged and driven back; then they tried
again, supported by English infantry. Then Marlborough led
up a still stronger force, drove back our light cavalry, and be-
gan to ascend the hill. We were attacked by ten battalions—
Hanoverians, Danes, and Prussians, while the English bore
against Blenheim. The fighting at both places was desperate,
and I must do the Germans the justice to say that nothing
could have exceeded the gallantry they showed, and that in


A VALIANT BAND
89
spite of the heavy fire we maintained they pressed up the slope.
We remained in our intrenchments till it could be seen that
the English were falling back from Blenheim, whose palisade,
manned by twenty-seven battalions of infantry, offered an
obstacle that would have defied the best troops in the world
to penetrate.
"Immediately this was seen, nine battalions, headed by our
three regiments, leapt from the trenches and poured down on
the Germans. The enemy could not withstand our onslaught.
Two of their regiments were utterly destroyed, the rest suf-
fered terribly, and were driven back. On the left Marcin
held his ground against all the attacks of Eugene, and it
seemed to us that the battle was won. However, it was not
over yet. While the fierce fighting had been going on in
front of Oberglau and Blenheim, Marlborough had passed the
whole of his cavalry and the rest of his infantry across the
rivulet, and in spite of artillery and musketry fire these
moved up in grand order, the infantry inclining towards the
two villages as before, the cavalry bearing straight up the
slope, and when they reached the crest charging furiously
upon our horse stationed there. They were superior in
numbers, but on this head accounts differ. At any rate they
overthrew our cavalry, who fled in the greatest disorder, pur-
sued by the allied horse.
"The infantry poured into the gap thus made, Blenheim
was entirely isolated, and we were exposed to assault both
in front and rear. Nevertheless we repulsed all attacks until
Marcin sent orders for us to retire; then we sallied out, after
setting fire to the village, flung ourselves upon the enemy,
and succeeded in cutting our way through, our regiment
forming the rear-guard. The whole of Marcin's army were
now in full retreat harassed by the allied cavalry, but when-
ever their squadrons approached us we faced about and gave


40
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
them so warm a reception that they attacked less formid-
able foes. As for the garrison in Blenheim, you know they
were at last surrounded by Marlborough's whole force with
artillery, and with the Danube in their rear and no prospect
of succour they were forced to surrender. It was a disastrous
day, and I have not yet recovered from the wound I received
there. Had five thousand infantry been posted in a redoubt
half-way between Blenheim and Oberglau, so as to give sup-
port to our cavalry, the result of the battle would have been
very different. Still, I suppose that most battles are lost by
some unlooked-for accident,—some mistake in posting the
troops. We can only say that had the allied forces been all
composed of such troops as those Eugene commanded, they
would have been beaten decisively, and that had, on the con-
trary, Eugene commanded such troops as those under Marl-
borough, Marcin would never have held his ground."
"How many British troops were there in the battle, Cap-
tain O'Donovan?"
"Somewhere about twelve thousand, while the Continental
troops were forty-seven or forty-eight thousand. There is no
doubt that they were the backbone of the force, just as we
flatter ourselves that our three regiments were the backbone
of the defence of Oberglau."
CHAPTER EH
A STRANGE ADVENTURE
TyHEN the party broke up, O'Neal and O'Sullivan, as
usual, came in for a quiet chat to Desmond's room.
"As we may be possibly ordered to Spain," Kennedy said,
"I should like to know a little about what we are going to


A STRANGE ADVENTURE
41
fight about; for although I know a good deal about the
war in Flanders, no news about that in Spain ever reached
Kilkargan."
"Well, you know, of course," O'Neil said, "that Philip V.
is a grandson of Louis, and is naturally supported by France
against the Archduke Charles of Austria, who is competitor
for the throne, and who is, of course, supported by England.
Six thousand English and Dutch troops were sent to aid the
Archduke Charles in his attempt to invade Spain and de-
throne Philip. The King of Portugal who is a member of
the allied confederacy promised to have everything ready to
co-operate with them. They found, however, on their arrival,
that no preparations had been made, and they were accord-
ingly distributed for a time among the garrisons on the fron-
tier. Philip on his part had not been so inactive, and two
armies—the one commanded by the Duke of Berwick and the
other by General Villadarias—invaded Portugal. Berwick
surprised and captured two Dutch battalions, and then cap-
tured Portalagre, and compelled the garrison, including an
English regiment of infantry, to surrender.
"The allies, to make a diversion, sent General Das Minas
into Spain with fifteen thousand men, who captured one or
two towns and defeated a body of French and Spanish troops.
The hot weather now set in and put a stop to hostilities, and
the troops on both sides went into quarters. The general—I
forget his name—who commanded the English and Dutch
contingent was so disgusted with the proceedings of the Por-
tuguese that he resigned his command, and the Earl of Gal-
way was appointed in his place. The next year he crossed the
frontier, captured several towns without much fighting, and
invested Badajos. Here, however, a stern resistance was met
with. Galway's hand was carried off by a shot, and the French
general (Tesse) coming up in force to the relief of the town,


42
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
and the Portuguese not arriving at all, the allies were obliged
to fall back upon Portugal. But Philip was threatened from
a fresh quarter.
"In June the Earl of Peterborough sailed from Portsmouth
with five thousand men, and at Lisbon took on board the
Archduke Charles. At Gibraltar some more troops were em-
barked, and Peterborough set sail for the coast of Valencia.
Peterborough himself, one of the most daring of men, and
possessed of extraordinary military talent, was in favour of a
march upon Madrid; but, fortunately for us,he was overruled,
and commenced the siege of Barcelona—a strong town garri-
soned by five thousand good troops, while he himself had but
a thousand more under his command. Nevertheless, by a sud-
den and daring attack he captured the strong castle of Mont-
juich which commanded the town, which was in consequence
obliged to surrender four days later, and the whole of Catalo-
nia was then captured. St. Matteo, ninety miles from Barce-
lona, which had declared for Charles and was besieged by a
large force, was relieved; and so brilliant were the exploits
accomplished by Peterborough with most inadequate means,
that the Spaniards came to the conclusion that he was pos-
sessed by an evil spirit.
"Large reinforcements were sent from France, and King
Philip advanced upon Barcelona and invested it by land,
while a French fleet bombarded it by sea. Peterborough hur-
ried with a small force from Valencia to aid the besieged, the
matter being all the more important since Charles himself was
in the city. Before his arrival, however, an English fleet ap-
peared, and our fleet retired. Philip at once raised the siege
and retired to Madrid. His position was indeed serious. Lord
Galway was advancing from the frontier, and Peterborough
had gathered a force to co-operate with him. Upon the
approach of Galway, Philip and the Duke of Berwick retreated


A STRANGE ADVENTURE
43
to the frontier. There they received great reinforcements and
advanced against Madrid, which was evacuated by Galway, who
marched away to form a junction with Lord Peterborough.
"Owing to the dilatory habits and hesitation of the Aus-
trian prince the junction was not effected for some time, and
then in spite of the entreaties of the two English generals, he
could not be persuaded to make a movement towards Madrid.
Peterborough, whose temper was extremely fiery, at last lost
all patience, abused Charles openly, and then, mounting his
horse, rode down to the coast, embarked upon an English ship
of war, and sailed away to assist the Duke of Savoy. After his
departure the ill feeling between the English force, the Portu-
guese, and the leaders of the Spanish adherents of Charles,
increased, and they spent their time in quarrelling among
themselves. They were without money, magazines, and almost
without provisions. Berwick was near them with a superior
force, and they took the only step open, of retreating towards
Valencia, which they reached, after suffering great hard-
ships, before Berwick could overtake them.
"French troops were poured into Spain, while no reinforce-
ments were sent from England. Galway and the Portuguese
advanced to meet the Duke of Berwick, who was marching
with a large army to occupy Catalonia. The two forces met
on the plain of Almanza on the 24th of April. We and the
Spaniards were superior in number to the English, Dutch,
and Portuguese. The battle was maintained for six hours.
The Portuguese infantry did little, but the English and Dutch
repulsed charge after charge even after the Portuguese and
Spanish allies on both wings were defeated. But in the end
victory remained with us. Galway and Das Minas, the Por-
tuguese general, were both wounded, and five thousand of
their men killed, and yet the Dutch and English infantry held
together. But on the following day, being absolutely with-


IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
out supplies, some effected their escape and succeeded in
reaching Portugal, while the main body surrendered. Va-
lencia, Saragossa, and other towns opened their gates to us,
and for a time the cause of the Archduke Charles seemed lost.
"Our success was, however, balanced by the loss in the
same year of the whole of the Spanish possessions in Italy.
As yet, in spite of the disasters that had befallen him, the
cause of Charles was not altogether lost, for he received fresh
promises of support from England, whose interest it was to
continue the war in Spain, and thus compel France to keep a
considerable body of troops there instead of employing them
against Marlborough in Flanders. Galway and Das Minas
were taken back to Portugal in an English fleet after their
disaster, and General Stanhope, who, they say, is an officer of
great military experience and talent, has been sent out to take
the command; and as a portion of Catalonia is still held for
Charles, there may yet be a good deal of hard fighting before
the matter can be considered finally settled."
"Thank you, O'Neil; I feel that I know something about
it now. Are there any of our regiments there?"
"Yes, three of them; there is also an Irish regiment in the
Spanish service under Colonel Crofton;" and with this the
talk ended for the night.
After three months' work Desmond was dismissed from drill
and had obtained such a proficiency with the rapier that he
felt that he could now relax his work and see something of the
city, which he had been hitherto too busy to explore. He had
seen the principal streets in the company of his comrades, had
admired the mansions of the nobles, the richness of the goods
exposed to view in the windows, and the gaiety and magnifi-
cence of the dresses of the upper class. His friends had
warned him that if he intended to go farther he should never
do so alone, but should take with him his soldier servant, a


A STRANGE ADVENTURE
45
trooper named Mike Callaghan. Mike was some twenty-eight
years old, strong and bony; his hair was red, and the natural
colour of his face was obscured by a host of freckles; his eyes
were blue, and his nose had an upward turn; his expression
was merry and good-humoured, but there was a twinkle about
his eyes that seemed to show that he was by no means wanting
in shrewdness.
"Even in the daytime," O'Neil said, " it is not safe for a
man, if well dressed and likely to carry money in his pocket,
to go into some quarters of the town. Paris has always been
a turbulent city, and, while it is the abode of the richest and
noblest of Frenchmen, it is also the resort of the rascaldom
of all France. Some streets are such that even the city guard
would not venture to search for an ill-doer unless in consider-
able force and prepared for battle. There are, of course, many
streets both on this and the other side of the river where life
and property are as safe as in the Rue Eoyal, which, by the
way, is not saying much, for it was only three days ago that
a man was assassinated there in broad daylight. He was a
captain in the Picardy regiment, and it was supposed that his
murderer was a man who had been dismissed from the regi-
ment with ignominy. But, whoever it was, he has got clear
away, for your Parisian citizen takes good care not to inter-
fere in such matters, and no one thought of laying hands on
the villain, although it is said he walked quietly off.
"It is in the streets that I am speaking of that adventures
may most easily be met with. Here there are too many hotels
of the nobles, with their numerous retainers, for it to be safe
to commit crime, and the city guard are generally on the alert,
for were harm to come to one of the gentlemen attached to
the great houses, the matter would be represented to the king,
and the city authorities would come in for a sharp reproof
for their failure to keep order in the city; whereas anything


46
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
that happens among the bourgeois would pass wholly without
notice. However, if you keep out of the wine-shops you are
not likely to become involved in trouble. Nine-tenths of the
quarrels and tumults originate there. There is a dispute,
perhaps, between a soldier and a citizen, or between soldiers
of different regiments, and in a minute or two twenty swords
are drawn, and the disturbance grows sometimes until it is
necessary to call out troops from the nearest barracks to
suppress it. However, I know that you are not likely to get
into trouble that way, for you are a very model of moderation
to the corps."
"I have seen enough of the consequences of drink in Ire-
land," Desmond said, "to cure me of any desire for liquor
even if I had a love for it. Faction fights involving the peo-
ple of the whole barony, arising from some drunken brawl, are
common enough, while among the better class, duels are
common and, for the most part, are the result of some foolish
quarrel between two men heated by wine. Besides, even
putting that aside, I should have given up the habit. When I
joined the regiment I was anxious to become a good swords-
man, but if one's head is overheated at night one's hand
would be unsteady and one's nerves shaken in the morning.
Possibly," he added with a smile, " it is this, quite as much as
the hotness of their temper.that prevents the best teachers from
caring to undertake the tuition of the officers of the Brigade."
"Possibly," Phelim laughed, " though I never thought of it
before. There is no doubt that the French, who, whatever their
faults be, are far less given to exceeding a fair allowance of
wine than are our countrymen, would come to their morning
lessons in the saloon in a better condition to profit by the
advice of the master than many of our men."
"I don't think," Patrick O'Neil said, "that we Irishmen
drink from any particular love of liquor, but from good


A STRANGE ADVENTURE
47
fellowship and joviality. One can hardly imagine a party
of French nobles inflaming themselves with wine and singing,
as our fellows do. Frenchmen are gay in what I may
call a feeble way—there is no go in it; there is no spirit in
their songs, there is no real heartiness in their joviality, and
the idea of one man playing a practical joke upon another, the
latter taking it in good part, could never enter their heads, for
they are ready to take offence at the merest trifle. As you
know, there are certain cabarets told off for the use of the
soldiers of the Brigade. They are allowed to use no others,
and no French troops are allowed to enter these wine-shops.
Similarly there are certain establishments which are almost
exclusively patronized by officers of the Brigade. There is, of
course, no absolute rule here, and we can enter any cabaret
we choose; but it is understood that it is at our own risk, and
that if we get into trouble there, we are sure to be hauled
over the coals pretty sharply, as it is considered that we must
have gone there deliberately with the intention of picking
a quarrel. The cabarets used by the men are all close to the
barracks, so that in case of a fracas a guard is sent down to
bring all concerned in it back to the barracks. Fortunately,
there is no need for the places we frequent being so close to
the barracks, for it is understood that anyone who takes too
much liquor outside his own quarters brings discredit on the
regiment; and it is after we adjourn to the rooms of one or
other of us that liquor begins to flow freely, and we make a
night of it."
"Don't you ever have quarrels among yourselves?"
"Angry words pass sometimes, but all present interfere at
once; the honour of the regiment is the first point with us all.
If men want to quarrel there are plenty of French officers
who would be quite ready to oblige them, but a quarrel
among ourselves would be regarded as discreditable to the


48
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
corps. Consequently a dispute is always stopped before it
reaches a dangerous point, and if it goes further than usual,
the parties are sent for by the colonel in the morning, both
get heavily wigged, and the colonel insists upon the matter
being dropped altogether. As the blood has had time to cool,
both are always ready to obey his orders, especially as they
know that he would report them at once to the general if the
matter were carried further."
"Well, I shall certainly not be likely to get into a quarrel
over wine," Desmond said, "nor indeed in any other way,
unless I am absolutely forced into it. As to adventures such
as you speak of, I am still less likely to be concerned in them.
I hope that when we are ordered on service I shall have a
full share of adventure such as may become a soldier."
O'Neil smiled. "Time will show," he said. "Adventures
come without being sought, and you may find yourself in the
thick of one before you have an idea of what you are doing;
but mind, if you do get into any adventure and need assist-
ance, you are bound to let us help you. This is the compact
we made two months ago. We agreed to stand by each other,
to be good comrades, to share our last sous, and naturally to
give mutual aid under all and every circumstance."
Desmond nodded. "At any rate, O'Neil, adventures can-
not be so common as you represent, since neither of you so far
has called upon me for aid or assistance."
"Have you heard the last piece of court scandal, Ken-
nedy?" O'Sullivan asked, as the three friends sat down to
breakfast together a few days later.
"No; what is it?"
"Well, it is said that a certain damsel—her name is at
present a secret—has disappeared."
"There is nothing very strange about that," O'Neil laughed;
"damsels do occasionally disappear; sometimes they have


A STRANGE ADVENTURE
19
taken their fate into their own hands and gone off with some-
one they like better than the man their father has chosen for
them; sometimes, again, they are popped into a convent for
contumacy. Well, go on, O'Sullivan, that cannot be all."
"Well, it is all that seems to be certain. You know that I
went with the colonel last night to a ball at the Hotel de
Rohan, and nothing else was talked about. Several there
returned from Versailles in the afternoon, and came back full
of it. All sorts of versions are current. That she is a rich
heiress goes without saying. If she had not been, her disap-
pearance would have excited no attention .whatever. So we
may take it that she is an heiress of noble family. Some
say that her father had chosen as her husband a man she dis-
liked exceedingly, and that she has probably taken refuge in
a convent. Some think that she has been carried off bodily
by someone smitten both by her charms and her fortune. It
is certain that the king has interested himself much in the
matter, and expresses the greatest indignation. Though, as it
would not seem that she is a royal ward, it is not clear why ho
should concern himself over it. Some whisper that the king's
anger is but feigned, and that the girl has been carried off by
one of his favourites."
"Why should such a thing as that be supposed?" Desmond
asked indignantly.
"Well, there is something in support of the idea. If anyone
else were to steal away, with or without her consent, a young
lady of the court with influential friends, he would be likely
to pass the first two years of his married life in one of the
royal prisons; and therefore none but a desperate man, or one
so secure of the king's favour as to feel certain that no evil
consequences would befall him, would venture upon such a
step. You must remember that there are not a few nobles of
the court who have ruined themselves to keep up the lavish
(M 648) D


50
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
expenditure incumbent upon those who bask in the royal
favour at Versailles. It would be possible that His Majesty
may have endeavoured to obtain-the hand of this young lady
for one of his favourites, and that her father may be a noble of
sufficient consequence to hold his own and to express to His
Majesty his regret that he was unable to adopt his recom-
mendation, as he had other views for the disposal of her hand.
The real singularity of the matter is, that no one can tell with
certainty who the missing lady is. Early in the day half a
dozen were named, but as I believe all of these put in an ap-
pearance at the reception in the afternoon, it is evident that
so far as they were concerned there were no foundations for
the rumour. It may be taken for certain, however, that
her friends are powerful people to have been able to impose
silence upon those acquainted with the facts."
"Well, it is impossible to take very much interest in the
story," Desmond said carelessly," when we are in ignorance of
the very name of the lady, and of the important point whether
she has voluntarily gone away either with a lover or to a con-
vent, or whether she has been carried off against her will. If
the latter, you were talking of adventures, O'Neil, and this
would be just the sort of adventure that I should like, for
us three to discover the maiden and rescue her from her ab-
ductor."
The others both laughed loudly. "And this is the young
officer who the other day declared that he wished for no ad-
ventures save those that came in the course of a campaign,
and now he is declaring that he would like to become a very
knight-errant and go about rescuing damsels in distress!"
"I have no idea of carrying it into execution," Desmond
said; " it was merely an expression of a wish. Of course if the
lady in question went willingly and to avoid persecution, I
would rather help than hinder her; but if she has been carried


A STRANGE ADVENTCRE
61
off by some ruined courtier, nothing would please me better
than to rescue her from him."
Several days had passed, and at last it was confidently
believed that the missing lady was the daughter of Baron
Pointdexter, a magnate of Languedoc, who had but recently
come up to court on an intimation from the king that it was a
long time since he had been seen there, and that His Majesty
hoped that he would be accompanied by his daughter, of whose
beauty reports had reached him. It was certain that neither
she nor her father had attended any of the receptions or fetes
at Versailles since the rumour first spread, although the baron
had had a private interview with the king a few hours after-
wards, and had left his chamber with a frowning brow that
showed that the interview had not been a pleasant one. He
had not again appeared at court, whether in consequence of
the royal command or not no one knew. The baron was one
of the richest proprietors in the south of France. He was a
specimen of the best type of the French nobles, preferring to
spend his time among his own wide estates to coming up to
the capital, where his visits had at all times been rare.
During the daytime Desmond went out but little. When the
hours of drill and exercise were over, he spent some time in
visiting the quarters of the men of his company, making their
personal acquaintance, and chatting freely with them. They
were glad to hear from him about their native country; and
as some of them came from his own neighbourhood, they took
a lively interest in the news—the first that had reached them
for years—of families with whom they were acquainted. He
spent two or three hours in the afternoons in the salle d'armes
of the regiment, 01 of the schools of one or other of the maitres
d'armes most In vogue, and then paid visits with one or other
of the officers of the regiment to great houses of which they
had the entree. Of an evening he went out, accompanied by


52
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
Mike Callaghan, and wandered about the less fashionable part
of the town, which pleased him better than the more crowded
and busy quarters.
One evening he had gone farther than usual, had passed
through the gates, and had followed the road by the banks of
the river. As an officer in uniform he was able to re-enter the
town after the gates were closed, the rules being by no means
strict, as, during the reign of Louis XIV, France, though en-
gaged in frequent wars abroad, was free from domestic trou-
bles. Presently he passed a lonely house of some size standing
back from the road and surrounded by a high wall. As he
did so, he heard a scream in a female voice, followed by
angry exclamations from two male voices, while loudly rose a
woman's cries for help.
"There is bad work of some sort going on in there," he
said to Mike; "we had better see what it is all about. Do
you go round the wall by the right and I will go round by
the left, and see if there is any way by which we can climb
over."
They met at the back of the house; the wall was unbroken
save by the gates in front.
"The wall is too high for us to climb, Mike," Desmond said.
"Even if I stood on your head I could not reach the top; let
us go round to the front again."
They returned and closely scrutinized the gate. It was not
so high as the wall itself, but was fully twelve feet.
"I have got a pistol with me, your honour," Mike said. "I
have seen doors blown in by firing a gun through the key-
hole."
"That would do if we were sure that there were no bars,
Mike; but the chances are that it is barred as well as locked.
Besides, I am sure that we should not be justified in blowing
in the door of a private house. It may be that they were the


A STRANGE ADVENTURE
63
cries of a mad woman. I would rather get over as quietly as
possible."
"Well, sir, I will stand against it, and if you will get on to
my shoulders and put your foot on my head, you will reach
the top. Then if you lower one end of your sash to me I can
pull myself up beside you."
"Yes, I think we can manage it that way, Mike. I am
convinced that there is something wrong going on here and I
don't mind taking the risk of getting into a scrape by inter-
fering. Now do you stoop a bit so that I can get on to your
shoulder; then you can raise yourself to your full height.
Take off your hat first; I shall certainly have to put my foot
on your head."
"All right, your honour; don't you be afraid of hurting me;
my skull is thick enough to stand the weight of two of
you."
In a minute Desmond had his fingers on the top of the
gates, drew himself up, and, moving to the corner where he
could get his back against the end of the wall, lowered his
sash to Mike.
"You are sure I shall not pull you down?"
"I am not sure, but we will try, anyhow."
This was said in a whisper, for there might, for anything ho
knew, be two or three men in the garden. Mike took off his
boots so as to avoid making a noise. Desmond was sitting
astride of the gate and had his end of the sash over the top of
it and under his leg, thereby greatly reducing the strain that
would be thrown on it, and then leaning with all his weight
on it where it crossed the gate. Mike was an active as well
as a strong man, and speedily was by his side.
"Now we will drop down," Desmond said, and, setting the
example, lowered himself till he hung by his hands, and then
dropped. Mike was soon beside him.


64
IN THE IRISB BRIGADE
"What shall we do next?"
"We will go and knock boldly at the door; but before we
do that, we will unbar the gate and shoot the bolt of the lock;
we have no idea how many men there may be in the house.
Maybe we shall have to beat a retreat."
The lock was shot without difficulty, but the bolts were
still fast, and were not drawn without noise. They pushed
back the last of these, and then opened the gates, which
creaked noisily as they did so.
"They can hardly help hearing that," Desmond muttered;
and indeed, as he spoke, the door of the house opened
suddenly, and five men came out, two of them holding torches.
A man who seemed to be the leader of the party uttered an
exclamation of fury as the light fell upon the figures of the
two men at the open gate.
"Cut the villains down!" he shouted.
"Stop!" Desmond cried in a loud voice. "I am an officer
of O'Brien's regiment of foot. I heard a scream and a wo-
man's cry for help, and, fearing that foul play was going on, I
made my entry here."
The man who had drawn his sword paused.
"You have done wrong, sir. The cries you heard were
those of a mad woman. You had better withdraw at once.
I shall report you to-morrow for having forcibly made an
entrance into private premises."
"That you are perfectly at liberty to do," Desmond replied
quietly; "but certainly I shall not withdraw until I see this
lady, and ascertain from herself whether your story is a true
one."
"Then your blood be on your own head!" the man said.
"At them, men! you know your orders,—to kill anyone who
attempted to interfere with us, no matter what his rank."
The fivo men rushed together upon the intruders.


A STRANGE ADVENTURE
00
"Hold the gate, Mike," Desmond said, "and they cannot
get behind us."
They stepped back a pace or two and drew their swords.
The position was a favourable one, for the two halves of the
gate opened inwards and so protected them from any but an
attack in front. The leader rushed at Desmond, but the latter
guarded the sweeping blow he dealt at him, and at the first
pass ran him through the body; but the other four men,
enraged rather than daunted by the fall of their leader, now
rushed forward together, and one of them, drawing a pistol,
fired at Desmond when within three paces. The latter threw
his head on one side as he saw the pistol levelled. The action
saved his life, for it was well aimed and the bullet would have
struck him full between the eyes. As it was, he felt a sharp
sudden pain as it grazed his cheek deeply. He sprang for-
ward, and before the man could drop the pistol and change
his sword from the left hand to the right, Desmond's weapon
pierced his throat. At the same moment Mike cut down one
of his assailants with his sabre, receiving, however, a severe
cut on the left shoulder from the other. Paralyzed at the loss
of three of their number, the remaining two of the assailants
paused for a moment. It was fatal to one of them, for Mike
snatched his pistol from his pocket and shot the man who had
wounded him, dead. The other threw down his sword and
fell upon his knees crying for mercy.
"Shall I kill him, your honour?"
"No; fasten his hands behind him with his own belt, and
bind his ankles tightly together with that of one of his com-
rades."
He paused, while Mike adroitly carried out his instructions.
"Now we will see what this is all about," Desmond said.
"I don't suppose that there are any more of them in the
house; still, we may as well keep our swords in readiness."


66
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
Picking up one of the torches that had fallen from their
assailants' hands, and holding it above his head with his left
hand while his right held his sword ready for action, Desmond
entered the house. The sitting-rooms on both sides of the
hall were empty, but upon entering the kitchen he found an
old woman crouching in a corner in the extremity of fear.
"Stand up; I am not going to hurt you," Desmond said.
"Lead us at once to the chamber of the lady we heard call
out."
The old woman rose slowly, took down a key hanging from
a peg, and, leading the way upstairs, opened a door.
"Keep a watch upon the crone," Desmond said as he en-
tered. As he did so his eye fell upon a girl of some seven-
teen years old. She was standing at the window with her
hands clasped. She turned round as he entered, and as her
eye fell upon his uniform she gave a cry of delight.
"Ah, monsieur, you have rescued me! I heard the fight in
the garden, and knew that the good God had sent someone
to my aid. But you are wounded, sir; your face is streaming
with blood."
"'Tis but the graze of a pistol ball," he said, "and needs
but a bowl of water and a strip of plaster to put it right. I
had well-nigh forgotten it. I am glad indeed to have been
able to render you this service, mademoiselle. It was most
providential that I happened to come along the road and
heard your screams and cries for aid; and I determined to see
if any foul business was being carried on here. What made
you call out?"
"I had let myself down from the window by knotting the
bed-clothes together. I was blindfolded when they carried me
in here, and did not know that the walls were so high all
round, but had hoped to find some gate by which I might
escape. There were only the great gates, and these were



DESMOND'S WEAPON TIERCED HIS TIIROAT.





A STRANGE ADVENTURE
67
locked, and I was trying to draw the bolts when two of the
men suddenly rushed out. I suppose the old woman came up
here and found the room empty. It was then that I screamed
for help, but they dragged me in in spite of my struggles, and
one said I might scream as much as I liked, for there was not
a house within hearing, and no one would be passing any-
where near. When he said that, I quite gave up hope. I
had believed that I was in some lonely house in the suburbs
of the city, and I little thought that my cries could not be
heard. But where are the men who guarded me?"
"Four of them are dead, mademoiselle, and the other
securely bound. Now, if you will tell me who you are and
where your friends live, I and my soldier servant will escort
you to them."
"My name is Anne de Pointdexter."
Desmond was scarcely surprised, for the care which had
been taken in choosing so lonely a spot for her concealment,
and the fact that an officer and four men should be placed
there to guard her, showed that she must have been regarded
as a prisoner of importance.
"Then I am glad indeed to have been the means of rescu-
ing you. All Paris has been talking of your disappearance for
the past ten days. The question is, what would you wish
done? It is too far to take you to Versailles to-night, and too
late to obtain means of conveyance."
"There is a carriage in the stables behind the house, and
there are some horses. I cannot say how many, but at night
I have heard them stamping. I suppose the carriage was left
here so that they could remove me to some other place in
case suspicion should fall upon this house. How many are
there of you, monsieur?"
"Only myself and the trooper you see at the door."
"And did you two fight with five men and kill four of


58
IN THE IRI8H BRIGADE
them 1" she exclaimed in surprise. "How brave of you,
monsieur, and how good to run such risk for a person of
whom you knew nothing!"
"I knew that it was a woman in distress," Desmond said,
"and that was quite enough to induce two Irishmen to step
in and answer to her cry for aid. However, mademoiselle, if
the carriage and horses are there, this will get us out of our
difficulty. The only question is, will you start at once or
wait until daylight? We may be stopped by the patrols as we
approach Versailles, but I have no doubt that my uniform
will suffice to pass us into the town, where probably your
father is still lodging."
"I would much rather go at once," the girl said; " there are
others who come sometimes at all hours of the night."
"Very well then, we will see about getting the carriage
ready at once. If you will come downstairs we will lock this
old woman up in your room."
This was done at once, and the girl, who was so shaken by
her captivity that she feared to remain for a moment by
herself, accompanied her rescuers to the back of the house.
Here, as she had said, they found a carriage and four horses,
two of which stood ready saddled, while the others were
evidently carriage horses. These were speedily harnessed and
put into the carriage.
"Now, Mike, you had better drive. I will mount oue of
these saddle-horses and ride alongside. I think, mademoiselle,
as the drive will be a long one, it would be as well that we
should put the old woman in the carriage with you. She will
be a companion, though one that you would not take from
choice. Still, your father may wish to question her, and
indeed it would be better in many respects that you should
have a female with you."
"Thank you, Monsieur Kennedy,"—for she had already


A STRANGE ADVENTURE
learned his name—she said gratefully, "it would certainly
be much better."
The old woman was therefore brought down and made to
enter the carriage and seat herself facing Mademoiselle
Pointdexter. Mike took his seat on the box and Desmond
mounted one of the saddle-horses and led the other. They had
already removed the bodies that lay in front of the gates. They
had to make a considerable detour round Paris before they
came down upon the Versailles road. The roads were bad and
the carriage was heavy, and daylight was already breaking
when they entered the town. They had twice been stopped
by patrols, but Desmond's uniform had sufficed to pass them.
Baron Pointdexter had taken up his abode in a large house
standing in a walled garden in the lower part of the town.
When they reached it Desmond dismounted and rung the
bell. After he had done this several times a step was heard
in the garden, and a voice asked roughly, "Who is it that
rings at this hour of the morning?"
Mademoiselle Pointdexter, who had alighted as soon as the
carriage stopped, called out, "It is I, Eustace."
There was an exclamation of surprise and joy, bolts were at
once drawn and the gate thrown open, and an old servitor
threw himself on his knees as the girl entered, and, taking the
hand she held out to him, put it to his lips.
"Ah, mademoiselle," he said, while the tears streamed down
his cheeks, "what a joyful morning it is! We have all
suffered, and monsieur le baron most of all. He has spokf-n
but a few words since you left, but walks up and down the
garden as one distraught, muttering to himself, and some-
times even drawing his sword and thrusting it at an invisi-
ble enemy. He is up, mademoiselle; he has never gone to
his bed since you were missing."
As he spoke, the door of the house opened and the baron


60
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
hurried out, with the question, " What is it, Eustace?" Then,
as his eye fell on his daughter, he gave a hoarse cry, and for
a moment swayed as if he would have fallen. His daughter
ran up to him and threw her arms round his neck.
''Do you return to me safe and well?" he asked, as, after
a long embrace, he stepped back and gazed into her face.
"Quite safe and well, father."
"The Lord be praised!" the baron exclaimed, and, drop-
ping into a garden-seat by his side, he burst into a passion of
sobbing. As soon as he appeared Desmond had handed
over the old woman to Eustace.
"She is a prisoner—keep a watch over her," he said; "she
can tell much. We will take the carriage round to a stable,
and must then return at once to Paris, where I must be on
duty at seven. Please inform the baron that I shall do my-
self the honour of calling to-morrow to enquire whether Mad-
emoiselle Pointdexter has suffered from the effects of the fa-
tigue and excitement. Express my regret that I am obliged
to leave at once, but I am sure he will have so much to hear
from his daughter that it is best they should be alone to-
gether for a time." *
He at once remounted his horse, Mike climbed up on to his
seat, and they drove off, and, knocking up the people at some
large stables, left the carriage and horses there, telling the
proprietors to send to the Baron Pointdexter to know his
wishes regarding it. Then Mike mounted the spare horse,
and they started at full speed for Paris, and arrived at the
barracks in time for Desmond to take his place at the early
parade.


AT VERSAILLES
61
CHAPTER IV
AT VERSAILLES
rjHE regiment was on the point of falling in on the parade
ground when Desmond Kennedy rode up. Leaping from
his horse he threw the reins to his servant.
"Take them both round to the stables and put them in
spare stalls, Mike. I will get leave off parade for both of us,
and ask the surgeon to dress your wounds properly."
Then he went up to the colonel, who was just entering the
barrack-yard.
"Colonel O'Brien," he said, "I must ask your leave off pa-
rade, for, as you see, I am scarcely in a condition to take my
place with my company."
"So it would seem, Mr. Kennedy. You have been in
trouble, I see. Nothing serious, I hope?"
"Nothing at all, sir, as far as I am concerned. It is merely
a graze from a pistol ball."
"Well, I must hear about it afterwards."
"I must also ask leave off parade for Callaghan, my ser-
vant, sir. He is hurt a good deal more than I am, though
not, I hope, seriously."
The colonel nodded. "I will send the surgeon to your
quarters and he will see to you both."
As Desmond left the colonel his two chums came up.
"Why, Kennedy, what on earth have you been doing to
yourself? This is what comes of gallivanting about after
dark. When we came round yesterday evening to go out
with you as usual, you were not in. There was nothing very
unusual in that, for these evening walks of yours are often
prolonged; but we called again on our return at eleven
o'clock and found you were still absent. This looked serious.


62
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
We came round again at six this morning, for we were anx-
ious about you, and learned you had not been in all night,
and, on enquiring, heard that Callaghan was also absent.
That was cheering. That you might get into some scrape or
other, we could reasonably believe; but, as you had your man
with you, we could hardly suppose that misfortune had fallen
upon both of you."
"The wound is a mere graze. I will tell you after parade
what I have been doing," Desmond said, " but you must nurse
your curiosity till you are dismissed."
A few minutes after Desmond reached his quarters the
surgeon came in. "I do not think that I have any need of
your services, doctor. I got a piece of plaster and stuck it
on two hours ago, and I have no doubt that the wound will
heal in a few days."
"However, I will, with your permission, take it off, Mr.
Kennedy. It is much better that the wound should be
properly washed and some dressing applied to it. It will
heal all the quicker, and you are less likely to have an ugly
scar.
"It is a pretty deep graze," he said, after he had carefully
removed the plaster. "An eighth of an inch farther and it
would have made your teeth rattle. You had better keep
quiet to-day. To-morrow morning, if there is no sign of
inflammation, I will take off the dressing and bandage and
put on a plaster—one a third of the size that I took off will be
sufficient; and as I will use a pink plaster, it will not be very
noticeable if you go outside the barracks. Where is your
man? The colonel told me there were two patients.
"A nasty cut," he said, after examining Mike's wound.
"It is lucky that it was not a little higher. If it had been,
you would have bled to death in five minutes. As it is, it is
not serious. You will have to keep your arm in a sling for a


AT VERSAILLES
63
fortnight. You are not to attend parade or mount a horse
until I give you leave."
On the ride from. Versailles Desmond had warned Mike to
say no word as to the events of the night. "I do not know
what course the young lady's father may take," he said, " and
until I do, the matter had better be kept a secret alto-
gether."
"I will keep a quiet tongue in my head, and no one shall
hear anything from me as to how 1 got this slice on my
shoulder. I will just say that it was a bit of a scrimmage I
got into with two or three of the street rascals; and the thing
is so common that no one is likely to ask any further ques-
tions about it."
After the parade was over, O'Neil and O'Sullivan came up
to Desmond's quarters. "Now, Master Kennedy, we have
come to receive your confession. We gave you credit for be-
ing a quiet, decent boy, and now it seems that you and that
man of yours have been engaged in some disreputable riot,
out all night, and coming in on two strange horses, which, for
aught we know, have been carried off by force of arms."
Desmond laughed. "As to the horses, you are not so far
wrong as one might expect, O'Neil. We rode them this
morning from Versailles."
"From Versailles!" O'Neil repeated. "And what in the
name of all the saints took you to Versailles? I am afraid,
Desmond, that you are falling into very evil courses. Well,
tell us all about it. I shall be glad to be able to believe that
there is some redeeming feature in this strange business."
Desmond laughed, and then said more seriously, "Well,
I have had an adventure. Other people were concerned in it
as well as myself. I have made up my mind to tell you both,
because I know that I can depend upon your promises to
keep it an absolute secret."


64
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"This sounds mysterious indeed," O'Sullivan said. "How-
ever, you have our promises; O'Neil and I will be as silent as
the grave."
"Well, then, you know how you were chaffing me the other
day about finding Mademoiselle Pointdexter—"
"You don't mean to say that you have found her, Ken-
nedy?" O'Neil exclaimed incredulously.
"That is what I mean to say, though found is hardly the
word, since I was not looking for her, or even thinking of her
at the time. Still, in point of fact I accidentally came across
the place where she was hidden away, and after a sharp skir-
mish, in which Callaghan and I each had to kill two men, we
carried her off and delivered her safely to her father this morn-
ing."
The two young officers looked hard at Desmond to discover
if he was speaking seriously, for his tone was so quiet and
matter-of-fact that they could scarce credit that he had passed
through such an exciting adventure, and the three were so
accustomed to hoax each other that it struck them both as
simply an invention on the part of their comrade, so abso-
lutely improbable did it seem to them.
"Sure you are trying to hoax us, Kennedy," O'Sullivan
said.
"You could not blame me if I were," Desmond said with a
smile, " considering the cock-and-bull stories that you are con-
stantly trying to palm off on me. However, you are wrong
now. I will tell you the affair just as it happened." And he re-
lated in detail the story of the rescue of Mademoiselle Point-
dexter, and the manner in which he had conveyed her to
Versailles.
"By St. Bridget, Kennedy, we were not far wrong when we
called you a knight-errant. Well, this is something like an
adventure, though whether it will end well or ill for you I


AT YERSAILLES
65
cannot say. Did you learn the name of the person who had
the girl carried off?"
"No; I asked no questions, and indeed had but little con-
versation with her; for, as I have told you, I put her in a car-
riage with the old hag who was in charge of her, and rode my-
self by the side of it in case the pld woman should try to es-
cape."
"A truly discreet proceeding, Kennedy," O'Neil laughed.
"I think, if I myself had been in your place, I should have
taken a seat inside also, where you, of course, could at once
have watched the old woman and talked with the young
one."
"I don't think that you would have done anything of the
sort, O'Neil," Desmond said gravely, " but would have seen, as
I did, that it was better that she should travel alone with the
old woman till she reached her father's house. Scandal will be
busy enough with her name in any case, and it is as well that
it should not be said that she arrived home in a carriage with
a young officer of O'Brien's Irish regiment."
"By my faith, Kennedy, it seems to me that you are a St.
Anthony and a Bayard rolled into one; but, seriously, you are
undoubtedly right. Well, it all depends on who was the man
who carried her off, as to whether you were fortunate or un-
fortunate in thus having thwarted his designs. If he is some
adventurer your action will gain you heaps of credit. H, on the
other hand, it was one of the king's favourites seeking to mend
his fortunes by marrying, it is probable that you will have
made a dangerous enemy,—nay, more, have drawn upon your-
self the king's displeasure. I should think it likely that before
attempting so desperate an action as the carrying off of the
Baron Pointdexter's daughter, such a man would have assured
himself that the king would not view the enterprise with dis-
pleasure. We may assume that he would not inform His Ma-
de M8) a


IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
jesty of any particulars, but would put it hypothetically, that
as he was getting into sore straits he thought of mending his
fortunes by carrying off an heiress—not, of course, one
of those of whose hands the king had the disposal; and that he
trusted that if he succeeded, His Majesty would not view the
matter as a grave offence. From what I know of Louis he
would reply gravely: 'I should be obliged (duke or viscount,
as the case might be) to express very grave displeasure, and
to order you to leave the court for a time; but as the harm
would be done, and the young lady married to you, it might
be that in time I should pardon the offence.' If this is how
things have gone, you may be sure that the king will not
view with satisfaction the man who has interfered with his
favourite's plan for mending his fortunes."
Desmond shrugged his shoulders. "The king's dissatisfac-
tion would matter very little to me," he said, " especially as he
could not openly manifest it without making it apparent that
he had approved of the scheme."
"It is not such a trifle as you think, Kennedy. Lettres de
cachet are not difficult to obtain by powerful members of the
court, especially when the person named is a young regimen-
tal officer whose disappearance would excite no comment or
curiosity save among the officers of his own regiment. The
man who carried off Mademoiselle Pointdexter must be a bold
fellow, and is likely to be a vindictive one. No doubt his
object was to keep the young lady a prisoner until she agreed
to marry him, and the loss of a pretty bride with a splendid
fortune is no trifling one, and likely to be bitterly resented.
Whether that resentment will take the form of obtaining an
order for your confinement in the Bastille or other royal pris-
on, or of getting you put out ot the way by a stab in the back,
I am unable to say, but in any case I should advise you
Strongly to give up your fancy for wandering about after


AT VERSAILLES
67
dark; and when you do go out, keep in the frequented portions
of the town. Jack Farquharson, who was at Versailles with
the colonel last week, was speaking of Mademoiselle Pointdex-
ter, and said that she was charming. Did you find her
so?"
"I thought nothing about it one way or the other," Des-
mond said carelessly; "I only saw her face by torch-light,
and she was, of course, agitated by what had happened; and
indeed, as I was busy helping Mike to yoke the horses to the
carriage, I had scarcely time to look at her. When we reached
Versailles it was barely daylight. I handed her out of the car-
riage, and left her to enter by herself, as I thought it was better
that she should meet her father alone. I do not think that I
should recognize her were I to meet her in the street."
"Most insensible youth!" O'Sullivan said with a laugh;
"insensible and discreet to a point that, were it not assured,
none would believe that you had Irish blood in your veins.
And so you say you are going over to Versailles to-morrow?"
"Yes; I left a message with the servant who opened the
door to that effect. Of course I shall be glad to know if the
baron intends to take any steps against his daughter's ab-
ductor, or whether he thinks it best not to add to the scandal
by stirring up matters, but to take her away at once to his es-
tates."
He is in a difficult position," O'Neil said gravely. "The
young lady has been missing for a fortnight; no one knows
whether she went of her own free-will or against it. Were
her father to carry her off quietly it would excite the worst
suspicions. Better by far lodge his complaint before the king,
proclaim his grievances loudly everywhere, and tell the
story in all its details. Whichever course he takes, evil-
minded people will think the worse; but of the two evils, the
latter seems to me to be the lesser."


68
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"I suppose it would be," Desmond agreed, " though for my
part I should be heartily glad if I never heard another word
about it."
"You are too modest altogether, Kennedy. Whatever
rumours may be current concerning the young lady, there can
be no doubt that you come out splendidly, in that you hear a
cry of a woman in distress; you scale walls to get in to her
assistance; you and your servant encounter five of her guards,
kill four of them and bind the other; rescue the maiden, and
carry her off with flying colours in the carriage of her ab-
ductor. My dear Kennedy, you will become an object of ad-
miration to all the ladies of the court."
"That will be absolutely disgusting," Desmond said angrily;
"it is almost enough to make one wish that one had never
interfered in the affair."
"Pooh, pooh, Kennedy! I am sure that either O'Sullivan or
myself would give, I was going to say a year's pay, though
how one would exist without it I don't know, to have been in
your place. Why, man, if you had captured a standard in
battle after feats of superhuman bravery, you would not attract
half the attention that will fall to you as a consequence of this
adventure. Life in the court of His Most Christian Majesty
is one of the most artificial possible. The women hide their
faces with powder and patches, lace themselves until they are
ready to faint, walk with a mincing air, and live chiefly upon
scandal; but they are women after all, and every woman has
a spice of romance in her nature, and such an adventure as
yours is the very thing to excite their admiration."
"I know nothing about women," Desmond growled, "and
don't want to know any of them, especially the ladies at the
court of Louis."
"Well, of course, Kennedy, if the baron proclaims his
wrongs, and publishes the circumstances of his daughter's ab-


AT VERSAILLES
09
duction and rescue, the seal of silence will be taken from our
lips, especially as you will almost to a certainty be summoned
to Versailles to confirm the lady's story."
"I am afraid that that will be so," Desmond said despond-
ingly. "However, it can't be helped, and I suppose one
must make the best of it." To most of the officers who dropped
in in the course of the day to see Desmond and to enquire
how he got his wound, he abstained from giving any particu-
lars. It was merely said that he and Callaghan were sud-
denly attacked by five ruffians, whom they managed to beat off.
Much surprise was expressed that such attack should be made
upon an officer and a soldier, on whom little plunder could be
expected, and who would be sure to defend themselves stoutly.
Several, indeed, expressed some incredulity.
"We do not doubt for a moment, Kennedy, that you were
attacked by five men, as you say, and that you routed them,
but there must have been some motive for the attack. These
evening strolls of yours are suspicious, and I will warrant that
there must have been a great deal at the bottom of it. Now,
«an you deny that?"
"I neither admit nor deny anything," Desmond said with a
smile; "enough that at present I have told you all that I feel
justified in telling. I acknowledge that there is more behind
it, but at present my mouth is sealed on the subject."
The colonel was among those who came in to see him. To
him Desmond said frankly that the affair was altogether out
of the common, that it was likely that the whole facts would
be known shortly, but that, as other persons were concerned,
he could not speak of it until he had obtained their permis-
sion.
"Then I will ask no further," Colonel O'Brien said. I
have seen enough of you to know that you would not be con-
cerned in any affair that could bring discredit upon the corps.


70
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
I am curious to know the whole story, but am quite content
to wait until you feel at liberty to tell me."
The next morning Desmond took part in the usual work of
the regiment, and then, mounting his horse, rode to Versailles.
On his ringing the bell at the house occupied by the Baron
de Pointdexter, the old servitor whom he had before seen
opened the gate.
"The baron is expecting you, monsieur," he said, bowing
deeply; and at his call another servant ran out and took Des-
mond's horse and led it away to the stable, while Desmond
followed the old man to the house. The door opened as they
approached, and the baron, a tall man, some fifty years of age,
advanced hastily, holding out both hands.
"Monsieur Kennedy," he said, "you have rendered to me
the greatest service that I have received during my life. No
words can express the gratitude that I feel for one who has
restored to me my only child just when I had come to believe
that she was lost to me for ever. It was surely her guardian
saint who sent you to the spot at that moment."
"It might have happened to anyone, sir," Desmond said;
"surely any gentleman on hearing an appeal for help
from a woman in distress would have done just what I
did."
"Let us go in," the baron said; "my daughter has been
eagerly waiting your coming, especially as she tells me that
she does not think she said even a word of thanks to you,
being overpowered by what she had gone through, and by her
joy, at her sudden and unexpected deliverance. Indeed, she
says that she scarcely exchanged two words with you."
"There was no opportunity, Baron, for, indeed, as soon as
she told me that there was a carriage and horses in the stable,
I was too much occupied in getting it ready for her to depart
without delay, to think of talking."


AT VERSAILLES 71
They had now entered the house, and as the baron led the
way into the sitting-room the girl rose from a fauteuil.
"This, Monsieur Kennedy, is my daughter, Mademoiselle
Anne de Pointdexter. It is high time that you were formally
presented to each other. This, Anne, is the officer who
rendered you such invaluable service."
"We meet almost as strangers, mademoiselle," Desmond
said, bowing deeply, "for I own that I saw so little of your
face the other night that I should hardly have recognized
you had I met you elsewhere."
"I should certainly not have recognized you, Monsieur
Kennedy. What with my own fright, and I may say the
condition of your face, I had but a faint idea of what you
were really like, but I certainly did not think that you were so
young. You had such a masterful way with you, and seemed
to know so perfectly what ought to be done, that I took you
to be much older than you now look."
"I joined the regiment but little more than three months
ago," Desmond said, "and am its youngest ensign."
"Monsieur, I owe to you more than my life, for had it not
been for you I should have been forced into marriage with
one whom I despise."
"I cannot think that, mademoiselle. From what I saw of
you I should say that you would have resisted all threats
and even undergone hopeless imprisonment rather than yield."
"There is no saying, Monsieur Kennedy," the baron said;
"Anne is of good blood, and I know that it would have been
hard to break down her will, but confinement and hopeless-
ness will tell on the bravest spirit. However that may be,
she and I are your debtors for life."
"Indeed, Monsieur Kennedy," the girl said, "I pray you
to believe that I am more grateful to you than worda can
express."


72
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"I pray you to say no more about it, mademoiselle. I deem
it a most fortunate circumstance that I was able to come to
your assistance, and especially so when I found that the lady
I had rescued was one whose disappearance had made so great
a stir; but I should have been glad to render such service to
one in the poorest condition."
"My daughter said that you asked her no questions,
Monsieur Kennedy, and you therefore are, I suppose, in
ignorance of the name of her abductor?"
"Altogether."
"It was the Vicomte de Tulle, one who stands very high
in the regard of the king, and who is one of the most ex-
travagant and dissipated even of the courtiers here. For
some time it has been reported that he had nigh ruined him-
self by his lavish expenditure, and doubtless he thought to
re-establish his finances by this bold stroke. His plans were
well laid: he waited until I had gone to Paris on business that
would keep me there for a day or two. A messenger arrived
with a letter purporting to be from me, saying that I wished
my daughter to join me at once, and had sent a carriage to
take her to me. Anne is young, and, suspecting no harm, at
once threw on a montle and hood and entered the carriage.
It was broad daylight, and there was nothing to disquiet her
until, on approaching the town, the carriage turned off the
main road. This struck her as strange, and she was just
about to ask the question where she was being taken, when
the carriage stopped in a lonely spot, the door was opened,
and a man stepped in.
"Before she had even time to recognize him he threw a
thick cloak over her head. She struggled in vain to free her-
self, but he held her fast. Again and again she tried to cry
out, but her mouth was muffled by the wrapping. She had
heard the blinds of the carriage drawn, and finding that her


AT VERSAILLES
73
struggles to free herself were vain, and receiving no answer to
her supplications to be released, she remained quiet until the
carriage stopped. Then she was lifted out and carried into
the house where you found her. The wrapping was removed,
and the man who had taken it off, and who by his attire was
a gentleman in the service of some noble, said, 'Do not be
alarmed, mademoiselle; no harm is intended to you. My
master is grieved to be obliged to adopt such means, but his
passion for you is so great that he was driven to this step, and
it will entirely depend upon yourself when your captivity will
end.'
"' Your master, whoever he may be,' Anne said, 'is a con-
temptible villain.'
"'Naturally you have a poor opinion of him at present,'the
fellow said; 'but I am convinced that in time you will come
to excuse his fault. It is wholly due to the depth of the
feeling that he entertains towards you. There is a woman
here who will wait upon you; I and my men will not intrude.
Our duty is solely to see that you do not escape, which in-
deed would be an impossibility for you, seeing that the wall
that surrounds the garden is well-nigh fifteen feet high, and
the gate barred and locked, and the key thereof in my pocket.'
He called, and the old woman whom you brought here with
Anne entered, and bid her ascend to the room that had been
prepared for her.
"In that respect she had nothing to complain of. Of course
you did not notice it, as you had other things to think of, but
it was handsomely furnished. There was a bed in an alcove,
some flowers on the table, some books, and even a harpsichord
—evidently it was intended that her imprisonment should be
made as light as might be.
"Looking from the window, Anne saw that the room was at
the back of the house, and had probably been chosen because


74
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
some trees shut the window off from view of anyone beyond
the wall. The next day the old woman announced the
Vicomte de Tulle. He bowed profoundly, and began by
excusing the step that he had taken, and crediting it solely
to the passion that he had conceived for her. You may
imagine the scorn and reproaches with which she answered
him. He was quite unmoved by her words. 'Mademoiselle,'
he said calmly when she paused, 'you may be sure that I
should not have undertaken this scheme unless I had fully
weighed the consequences. My plans have been so laid that
whatever search may be made for you will be in vain. Here
you are, and here you will remain until you listen to my suit.
Every want shall be satisfied, and every wish complied with;
but whether it is one year or five, you will not leave this
house until you leave it as my bride.'
"' Then, sir,' she said passionately, 'I shall be a prisoner
for life.'
"' So you may think at present, mademoiselle,' he said.
'And I expected nothing else; but with time and reflection
you may come to think otherwise. Union with me is not
so terrible a matter. My rank you know, and standing high
as I do in the favour of His Most Gracious Majesty, your
position at court will be such as might gratify the daughter
of the noblest family in France. The study of my life will be
to make you happy. I shall now leave you to think over the
matter. I shall not pester you with my attentions, and for
another month you will not see me again. At the end of that
time I trust that you will have seen the futility of condemn-
ing yourself to further captivity, and will be disposed to make
more allowance than at present for the step to which my
passion for yourself has driven me.'
"It was just a month since she had been carried off, ami
the very day when you rescued her the old woman had in-


AT VERSAILLES
75
formed her that the vicomte would do himself the pleasure
of calling upon her the next day. For the first fortnight she
had held up bravely, in the hope that I should discover the
place where she had been hidden. Then she' began to feel the
imprisonment and silence telling upon her, for the old woman
only entered to bring in her meals, and never opened her lips
except on the first occasion, when she told her that she was
strictly forbidden to converse with her. After that she began
to despair, and the news that her abductor would visit her the
next day decided her to make an attempt to escape. She had
no difficulty in letting herself down from the window by the
aid of her bed-clothes, but she found that what had been said
respecting the wall and gate was true, and that she was no
nearer escape than she had been before she had left her room.
She was trying in vain to unbar the gate, which, indeed,
would have been useless could she have accomplished it, as it
was also locked. But she was striving with the energy of
desperation when the door of the house opened and the men
rushed out and seized her. As they dragged her back to the
house she uttered the cries that brought you to her assistance.
The rest you know.
"As soon as I heard her story I went to the palace and
asked for a private interview with the king. The king re-
ceived me graciously enough, and asked, with an appearance
of great interest, if I had obtained any news of my daughter.
"' I have more than obtained news, Your Majesty. I have
my daughter back again, and I have come to demand justice
at your hands.'
"' I congratulate you indeed, Baron,' the king said, with an
appearance of warmth, but I saw his colour change, and was
convinced that he knew something at least of the matter.
"' And where has the damsel been hiding herself?' he went
on.


76
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"' She has not been hiding herself at all, Sire,' I said. 'She
has been abducted by one of Your Majesty's courtiers with
the intention of forcing her into a marriage. His name, Sire,
is the Vicomte de Tulle, and I demand that justice shall be
done me, and that he shall receive the punishment due to so
gross an outrage.'
"The king was silent for a minute, and then said:
"' He has indeed, if you have been rightly informed, acted
most grossly. Still, it is evident that he repented the step
that he took, and so suffered her to return to you.'
"' Not so, Your Majesty,' I said. 'I owe her return to no
repentance on his part, but to the gallantry of a young officer
who, passing the house where she was confined, heard her
cries for aid, and with his soldier servant climbed the gate
of the enclosure, and was there attacked by the man who had
charge of her, with four others. The young gentleman and
his servant killed four of them and bound the other, and then,
entering the house, compelled the woman who had been
appointed to act as her servant to lead the way to her
chamber. Fortunately, the carriage in which she had been
taken there was still in the stables, with its horses. The
gallant young gentleman at once got the carriage in readiness,
placed my daughter in it, with the woman who had been
attending on her. The servant drove, and he rode by the
side of the carriage, and in that way brought her home this
morning.'
"In spite of his efforts to appear indifferent, it was evident
that the king was greatly annoyed. However, he only said:
"' You did quite right to come to me, Baron. It is out-
rageous indeed that a young lady of my court should be thus
carried off, and I will see that justice is done. And who is
this officer who has rendered your daughter such a ser-
vice?'


AT VERSAILLES
77
"' His name is Kennedy, Sire. He is an ensign in O'Brien's
Irish regiment.'
"' I will myself send for him,' he said, 'and thank him for
having defeated this disgraceful plot of the Vicomte de Tulle.
I suppose you are quite sure of all the circumstances as you
have told them to me?'
"' It is impossible that there can be any mistake, Sire,' I
said. 'In the first place, I have my daughter's account. This
is entirely corroborated by the old woman she had brought
with her, and whose only hope of escaping from punishment
lay in telling the truth. In every respect she fully confirmed
my daughter's account.'
"' But the vicomte has not been absent from Versailles for
the past month. He has been at my morning levee, and on
all other occasions at my breakfasts and dinners; he has
walked with me in the gardens, and been always present at
the evening receptions.'
"' That is so, Sire,' I said. 'My daughter happily saw him
but once, namely, on the morning after she was captured. He
then told her frankly that she would remain a prisoner until
she consented to marry him, however long the time might
be. He said he would return in a month, and hoped by
that time to find that, seeing the hopelessness of her position,
she would be more inclined to accept his suit. It was on
the eve of his coming again that my daughter, in her despera-
tion, made the attempt to escape. She was foiled in her effort,
but this, nevertheless, brought about her rescue, for her cries,
as her guards dragged her into the house, attracted the atten-
tion of Monsieur Kennedy, who forthwith, as I have told you,
stormed the house, killed her guards, and brought her home
to me.'
'' The king then sent for de Tulle, and spoke to him with
great sternness. The latter did not attempt to deny my


78
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
accusation, but endeavoured to excuse himself on the ground
of the passion that he had conceived for my daughter. Cer-
tainly from the king's tone I thought that he would at least
have sent him to the Bastille, but to my great disappointment
he wound up his reproof by saying, 'I can, of course, make
some allowances for your passion for so charming a young
lady as Mademoiselle Pointdexter, but the outrage you com-
mitted is far too serious to be pardoned. You will at once
repair to your estates, and will remain there during my plea-
sure.' The vicomte bowed and withdrew, and an hour later
left Versailles. The king turned to me as he left the room,
and said, 'I trust, Monsieur le Baron, that you are content
that justice has been done.'
"I was too angry to choose my words, and I said firmly, 'I
cannot say that I am content, Your Majesty. Such an outrage
as that which has been perpetrated upon my daughter deserves
a far heavier punishment than banishment from court; and
methinks that an imprisonment as long as that which he in-
tended to inflict upon her unless she consented to be his wife,
would have much more nearly met the justice of the case.'
"The king rose to his feet suddenly, and I thought that
my boldness would meet with the punishment that I desired
for de Tulle, but he bit his lips, and then said coldly: 'You
are not often at court, Baron Pointdexter, and are doubtless
ignorant that I am not accustomed to be spoken to in the tone
that you have used. However, I can make due allowance for
the great anxiety that you have suffered at your daughter's
disappearance. I trust that I shall see you and your daughter
at my levee this evening.'
"As this was a command, of course we went, and I am
bound to say that the king did all in his power to show to
his court that he considered her to be wholly blameless. Of
course the story had already got about, and it was known that


AT VERSAILLES
79
the vicomte had been ordered to his estates. The king was
markedly civil to Anne, talked to her for some time, expressed
his deep regret that she should have been subject to such an
outrage while staying at his court, and said, in a tone loud
enough to be heard by all standing round: 'The only redeem-
ing point in the matter is, that the Vicomte de Tulle in no
way troubled or molested you, and that you only saw him for
a few minutes on the first day of your confinement.' I need
not say that this royal utterance was most valuable to my
daughter, and that it at once silenced any malicious scandal
that might otherwise have got about.
"The king stopped to speak to me immediately afterwards,
and I said: 'I trust that you will pardon the words I spoke
this morning. Your Majesty has rendered me and my daughter
an inestimable service by the speech that you have just made.'
Thus, although dissatisfied with the punishment inflicted on
the Vicomte de Tulle, and believing that the king had a
shrewd idea who her abductor was, I am grateful to him for
shielding my daughter from ill tongues by his marked kind-
ness to her, and by declaring openly that de Tulle had not
seen her since the day of her abduction. I intended to return
home to-morrow, but the king himself, when I went this morn-
ing to pay my respects and state my intention of taking
Anne home, bade those standing round to fall back, and was
good enough to say in a low voice to me: 'I think, Baron,
that you would do well to reconsider your decision to leave to-
morrow. Your sudden departure would give rise to ill-natured
talk. It would be wiser to stay here for a short time till the
gossip and wonder have passed away.'
"I saw that His Majesty was right and shall stay here for a
short time longer. It would certainly have a bad effect were
we to seem to run away and hide ourselves in the prov-
inces."


AT VERSAILLES
81
fencer, but I doubt whether he can possess such skill as that
which de Tulle has acquired. It is not always the injured
person that comes off victorious in a duel; and should fortune
go against Monsieur de la Vallee it would be a terrible blow
to my daughter, and indeed to myself, for I am much attached
to him. She is worrying about it already. Of course it is
impossible that the affair can be hidden from him; it is public
property now, and therefore I sent off one of my grooms an
hour since with a letter to him.
"Hitherto I had not written to him about my daughter's
disappearance. Knowing he would, on hearing of it, at once
hasten here, where he could do no good and would only add to
my trouble, I thought it best to let matters go on as they were.
I had been doing everything that was possible, and to have
his troubles as well as my own on my hands would have driven
me to distraction. The groom is to change horses at every
post-house, and to use the greatest possible speed. You may
be sure that Monsieur de la Vallee will do the same, and that
in six days he will be here. I have given him the merest out-
line of the affair, and have not mentioned the name of Anne's
abductor. Had I done so, it is probable that Philip would
have gone straight to de Tulle and forced on an encounter at
once. As it is, I trust that Anne and I between us may per-
suade him to take no step in the matter. It is the honour of
my family, not of his, that has been attacked. Had he been be-
trothed to my daughter he would have been in a position to
take up her quarrel; as it is, he has no status, except distant re-
lationship. And now, Monsieur Kennedy, I have the king's
order to take you to the palace. He asked me several ques-
tions about you this morning. I said that I had not yet seen
you, but that you were riding over here to-day, and he said:
'Bring him to me when he comes, Baron. I should like to See
this young fire-eater who thrust himself so boldly into a mat-
(M648) F


82
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
ter in which he had no concern, solely because he heard a wo-
man's voice calling for help.'"
"I am sorry to hear it," Desmond said bluntly. "From
what you say I imagine that, in spite of what he has done, the
king is far from gratified at the failure of his favourite's
plan. However, I cannot disobey his commands in the matter."
CHAPTER V
A NEW FRIEND
rpHE baron sent a servant to request his daughter to coma
down.
"I am going now with Monsieur Kennedy to the palace,
Anne," he said as she entered. "I do not suppose that we
shall be absent very long. I have been talking matters over
with him, and I think that he agrees with my view of them."
"But I have hardly spoken to him yet, father!"
"You will have an opportunity of doing so when we return.
Monsieur Kennedy will, of course, dine with us. After the
service that he has rendered to us we have a right to con-
sider him as belonging to us."
"Had I had an idea of this," Desmond said, as they walked
up the hill towards the palace gate," I should have put on my
full uniform. This undress is scarcely the attire in which
one would appear before the King of France, who is, as I
have heard, most particular in matters of etiquette."
"He is so," the Baron said. "He will know that you could
not be prepared for an audience, and doubtless he will receive
you in his private closet."
On ascending the grand staircase the baron gave his name
to one of the court chamberlains.


A NEW FRIEND
83
"I have orders," the latter said, "to take you at once, on
your presenting yourself, to His Majesty's closet, instead of
entering the audience-chamber." They were conducted along
a private passage of considerable length. On arriving at a
door the chamberlain asked them to wait while he went inside
to ascertain whether His Majesty was disengaged.
"His Majesty will see you in a few minutes, Baron," he
said when he came out; " the Due d'Orleans is with him, but,
hearing your name announced for a private audience, he is
taking his leave."
In two or three minutes a hand-bell sounded in the room,
and the chamberlain, who at once entered, returned in a
moment and conducted the baron and Desmond into the
king's private apartment.
"Allow me to present to Your Majesty," the former said,
"Monsieur Desmond Kennedy, an officer in O'Brien's regi-
ment, and an Irish gentleman of good family."
The king who was now far advanced in life, looked at the
young man with some surprise. "I had expected to see an
older man," he said. "Though you told me, Baron, he was
but an ensign, I looked to see a man of the same type as so
many of my gallant Irish officers, ready for any desperate
service. So, young sir, you have begun early indeed to play
havoc among my liege subjects, for I hear that you and a
soldier with you slew four of them."
"Hardly your liege subjects, Your Majesty, if I may ven-
ture to say so; for assuredly they were not engaged in lawful
proceedings when I came upon them."
A slight smile crossed the king's face. He was accustomed
to adulation, and the simple frankness with which this young
soldier ventured to discuss the propriety of the word he used
surprised and amused him.
"You are right, sir; these fellows who are ready to under-


A NEW FRIEND
85
intended to adopt. But I said it would be well that he should
do so, for rumours had reached me that his finances were in
disorder. Whether he took this as a permission to use any
means that he thought fit I cannot tell; and I certainly did
not suspect, when I heard of the disappearance of Mademoi-
selle de Pointdexter, that he had any hand in it, and was
shocked when the baron came here and denounced him to me.
I am glad indeed that his enterprise was thwarted, for it was a
most unworthy one. You are too young yet for me to grant
you military promotion, but this will be a proof of my appro-
bation of your conduct, and that the King of France is de-
termined to suppress all irregularities at his court." And
taking a diamond ring from his finger, he handed it to Des-
mond, who went on one knee to receive it. "You will please
inform your colonel that when he comes to Versailles I re-
quest he will always bring you with him."
The audience was evidently finished, and the baron and
Desmond, bowing deeply, left the king's cabinet. The baron
did not speak till they left the palace.
"Louis has his faults," the baron then said, "but no one
could play the part of a great monarch more nobly than he
does. I have no doubt whatever that de Tulle relied im-
plicitly upon obtaining his forgiveness had he succeeded in
forcing Anne into marrying him, though doubtless he would
have feigned displeasure for a time. He has extricated him-
self most gracefully. I can quite believe that he did not im-
agine his favourite intended to adopt so criminal a course to
accomplish the matter of which he spoke to him, but he could
not fail to have his suspicions when he heard of Anne's disap-
pearance. However, we can consider the affair as happily
ended, except for the matter of Monsieur de la Vallee, of
whom I spoke to you. And now, sir, that the king has ex-
pressed his gratitude to you for saving his court from a grave


86
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
scandal, how can I fitly express my own at the inestimable
service that you have rendered us?"
"I should say, Baron, that it will be most welcomely ex-
pressed if you will abstain from saying more of the matter.
It is a simple one. I went to the assistance of a woman in
distress, and succeeded at the expense of this trifling wound
in accomplishing her rescue. The lady happened to be your
daughter, but had she been the daughter of some little
bourgeois of Paris carried off by a reckless noble, it would
have been the same. Much more has been made of the matter
than there was any occasion for. It has gained for me the
approbation and thanks of the king, to say nothing of this
ring, which, although I am no judge of such matters, must be
a very valuable one, or he would not have worn it; and I have
had the pleasure of rendering a service to you and Mademoi-
selle de Pointdexter, therefore I feel far more than duly
rewarded for a service somewhat recklessly undertaken on the
spur of the moment."
"That may be very well as far as it interests yourself, Mon-
sieur Kennedy, but not so far as I am concerned, and I fear I
shall have to remain your debtor till the end of my life. All
I can say at present is, that I hope that as soon as you can
obtain leave you will come as a most honoured guest to my
chateau. There you will see me under happier circumstances.
The life of a country seigneur is but a poor preparation for
existence in this court, where, although there is no longer the
open licentiousness that prevailed in the king's younger days,
there is yet, I believe, an equal amount of profligacy, though
it has been sternly discountenanced since Madame Mainte-
non obtained an absolute, and I may say a well-used, influence
over His Majesty."
"I shall be happy indeed to pay you a visit, Baron, if my
military duties will permit my absenting myself for a time



TAKING A DIAMOND RING FROM HIS FINGER HE HANDED
IT TO DESMOND.


A NEW FRIEND
87
from Paris. All I know of France is its capital, and nothing
would give me greater pleasure than to have the opportunity
of seeing its country life in so pleasant a manner."
"Our pleasure would be no less than your own, Monsieur
Kennedy. There is one thing I must warn you about, and
that is you must be careful for a time not to go out after dark.
De Tulle has an evil reputation, and is vindictive as well as
unscrupulous. Doubtless he has agents here who will, by
this time, have discovered who it was that brought his daring
scheme to naught; and it is to my mind more than probable
that he will endeavour to be revenged."
"I shall be on my guard," Desmond said quietly.
"You must be careful indeed," the baron said. "Against
open violence you can well defend yourself, but against a blow
from behind with a dagger, skill and courage are of little avail.
When you go out after dark, I pray you let your army servant
follow closely behind you, and see that his sword is loose in
its scabbard."
Desmond nodded. "Believe me, I will take every precau-
tion. It is not likely that there will long be need for it, for
none can doubt that military operations will soon begin on a
large scale, and we are not likely, if that is the case, to be
kept in garrison in Paris."
When Desmond arrived that evening at the barracks he
found that the story of the rescue of Madamoiselle de Point-
dexter was already known, and also that the Vicomte de Tulle
had been the abductor, and had in consequence been banished
from court. The baron had indeed related the circumstances
to some of his intimate friends, but the story had varied greatly
as it spread, and it had come to be reported that an officer
had brought a strong body of soldiers, who had assaulted the
house where she was confined, and, after a desperate conflict,
had annihilated the guard that had been placed over her.


88
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
Desmond laughed as this story was told to him when he
entered the room where the officers were gathered. The nar-
rator concluded, "As you have been to Versailles, Kennedy,
doubtless you will have heard all the latest particulars. Have
you learnt who was the officer, what regiment he belonged to,
and how he came to have a body of soldiers with him outside
the town, for they say that the house where she was confined
was a mile and a half beyond the walls?"
There was no longer any reason for concealment. The mat-
ter had become public; the baron would certainly mention
his name, and indeed his visit to the palace, and the private
audience given to him and the baron would assuredly have
been noted.
"Your story is quite new to me," he said "and is swollen in
the telling to undue proportions. The real facts of the case
are by no means so romantic. The truth of the story by this
time is generally known, as Mademoiselle Pointdexter and her
father have many friends at court. The affair happened to
myself."
"To you, Kennedy?" was exclaimed in astonishment by all
those present.
"Exactly so," he said. "Nothing could have been more
simple. The evening before last I was, as usual, taking a
walk, and the night being fine, I passed beyond the gate.
Presently I heard a scream and a woman's cry for help. None
of you, gentlemen, could have been insensible to such an
appeal. Callaghan and I climbed over a pretty high gate. ■
Not knowing what force there might be in the place, we occu-
pied ourselves at first by unbarring and shooting the lock of
the gate. The bolts were stiff, and we made some noise over
it, which brought out five men. These we disposed of after
a short fight, in which I got this graze on the cheek and
Callaghan his sword wound in the shoulder."


A NEW FRIEND
89
"How did you dispose of them, Kennedy?" the colonel
asked.
"I ran two of them through, Callaghan cut down one and
shot another; the fifth man cried for mercy, and we simply
tied him up. We then found Mademoiselle Pointdexter, and
learning from her that the carriage in which she had been
brought there was, with its horses, still in the stable, we got
it out, harnessed the horses, and put an old woman who was
mademoiselle's attendant in the carriage with her. Mike took
the reins, I mounted a saddle-horse, and we drove her to her
father's house at Versailles, saw her fairly inside, and then, as
you know, got back here just as the regiment was forming up
on parade."
"A very pretty adventure, indeed," the colonel said warmly,
and loud expressions of approbation rose from the other
listeners.
"And why did you not tell us when you came in?" the
colonel went on.
"I had not seen Baron Pointdexter, and did not know what
course he would take—whether he would think it best to hush
the matter up altogether or to lay a complaint before the king;
and until I knew what he was going to do, it seemed to me
best that I should hold my tongue altogether. When I went
to Versailles to-day I found that he had laid his complaint
before the king, and that the Vicomte de Tulle, who was thr
author of the outrage, had been ordered to his estates. I
may say that I had the honour of a private interview with
His Majesty, who graciously approved of my conduct and
gave me this ring," and he held out his hand, "as a token of
his approval."
"Well, gentlemen, you will agree with me," the colonel said,
"that our young ensign has made an admirable debut, and I
am sure that we are all proud of the manner in which he has


90
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
behaved; and our anticipations that he would prove a credit to
the regiment have been verified sooner than it seemed possible."
"They have, indeed, Colonel," the major said. "It was in
every way a risky thing for him to have attempted. I do not
mean because of the odds that he might have to face, but de-
cause of the trouble that he might have got into by forcing
his way into a private house. The scream might have come
from a mad woman, or from a serving-wench receiving a
whipping for misconduct."
"I never thought anything about it, Major. A woman
screamed for help, and it seemed to me that help should be
given. I did not think of the risk either from armed men
inside—for I had no reason to believe that there were such—
or of civil indictment for breaking in. We heard the cry,
made straight for the house, and, as it turned out, all went
well."
"Well, indeed," the colonel said. "You have rescued a
wealthy heiress from a pitiable fate, you have fleshed your
maiden sword in the bodies of two villains, you have earned
the gratitude of the young lady and her father, and have re-
ceived the approval of His Majesty—a very good night's work
altogether. Now tell us a little more about it."
Desmond was compelled to tell the story in much further
detail than before. The colonel ordered in a dozen of cham-
pagne, and it was late before the party broke up.
"You see we were pretty nearly right in our guess," O'Neil
said, as he and O'Sullivan walked across with Desmond to
their quarters. "We said that we thought it likely she might
have been carried off by one of the court gallants, who felt
tolerably confident that, if successful, the king would overlook
the offence. This fellow, thanks to your interference, did not
succeed, and the king has let him off lightly enough by only
banishing him from court. If it had been any one but one of


A NEW FRIEND
91
his favourites he would by this time have been a tenant of
the Bastille. I do not think myself that this punishment was
adequate; but then I am not a courtier, and should be rather
glad than not to be sent away to any estates I might have."
"But," Desmond remarked, "I suppose the punishment is
a severe one to these men accustomed to a round of pleasure
and dissipation, and who consider it the highest of earthly
honours to be in favour with the king. However, no one
could be kinder than His Majesty has been on the subject.
At the reception last night, at which he ordered the baron
and his daughter to appear, he showed her the most marked
favour, and particularly put a stop to all scandals by saying
loudly that de" Tulle had never seen her after the first mor-
ning of her capture."
Six days later, when Desmond was engaged in the fencing-
room, Callaghan came in and told him that a gentleman was
at his quarters wishing particularly to see him.
"What is his name!"
"Sure and I don't know, your honour. He did not mention
it, and it was not for the likes of me to ask him."
"Ridiculous, Mike! In future, when anyone comes and
wishes to see me, you will say, 'What name shall I tell Mr.
Kennedy ?'" He put on his uniform coat reluctantly, for he
was engaged in an interesting bout with a professor, who was
an old friend of the maitres d'armes. As he entered his room,
a young man who had been staring out of the window and
drumming impatiently with his fingers, turned. He was a
stranger to Desmond.
"I am Desmond Kennedy, sir," the young officer said. "To
what do I owe the honour of this visit?"
The other did not reply, but stood looking at him in so
strange and earnest a way that Desmond felt almost uneasy.
"Sir," his visitor said at last, advancing to him and holding


92
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
out both hands, "when I tell you that my name is Philip de
la Vallee you will understand what must strike you as my
singular behaviour. I arrived last night at Versailles and
heard all that had happened. You can imagine, therefore,
that my heart is almost too full for words with gratitude
and thankfulness." Desmond was moved by the emotion of
his visitor, and their hands met in a hearty clasp. Monsieur
de la Vallee was a young man of four-or five-and-twenty, well-
proportioned, and active and sinewy from his devotion to field
sports. He was about the same height as Desmond himself,
but the latter, who had not yet finished growing, was larger
boned, and would broaden into a much bigger and more
powerful man.
"Henceforth, Monsieur Kennedy," de la Vallee went on, " I
hope that we shall be as brothers, and more. Had it not been
for you my life would have been a ruined one. What agony
have I been saved! It makes me mad to think that I was
idling at home, ignorant that my beloved had been carried
away. I do not blame the baron for not informing me, and I
acknowledge that the reasons he gave me were good ones. I
could have done nothing, and should but have added to his
troubles by my anxiety and anger. Still, he told me that in
another day or two he would have felt that I ought no longer
to be kept in the dark, and would have summoned me to Paris.
I am thankful now that he did not do so, for I believe that
my impotence to do anything would have driven me almost
to distraction."
"I agree with you that the baron acted wisely," Kennedy
said. "Had not chance or Providence taken me past the
house where she was imprisoned at the very moment when
Mademoiselle Pointdexter cried for help, she might, for aught
I can say, have remained a captive there for months or even
years."


A NEW FRIEND
93
"It was Providence indeed, Monsieur Kennedy. Providence
not only that she should have cried at that moment, but that
her cries should have reached the ears of one so ready and able
to save her. And now, I pray you, call me Philip and allow
me to call you Desmond, as a pledge of our close friend-
ship."
"With pleasure," Kennedy replied; and the compact was
sealed with another close grasp of the hand.
"It is strange, Desmond, that while the king, who had but
little interest in the matter, could present you, as I am told
he did, with a diamond ring, the baron and I, who owe you so
much can do nothing to show our gratitude."
Desmond smiled. "I can assure you that I need no such
tokens," he said; "the thanks that I have received from you
both are infinitely more grateful to me than any amount of
rings and jewels."
"And now, my friend," Philip de la Vallee went on, "my
own burning desire is to go to de Tulle as soon as I have
accompanied the baron and Anne to their home, first to
publicly chastise this villain noble, and, then, of course, to
fight him. Naturally I have said nothing of this to the baron,
but I feel, after what has happened, that in you I shall find
an adviser and a sympathizer."
"I sympathize with you most heartily, Philip, and in your
place should feel the same impulse; and yet it would not be
wise to give way to it. I say this on the ground that he is a
notoriously good swordsman, and that instead of your taking
vengeance upon him he might kill you.
"I feel that that argument would not have any influence
with you personally, but, taking your position with regard to
Mademoiselle de Pointdexter, it should have great weight.
You can judge from what you would have felt yourself had
you been aware of her disappearance, what she would feel did


94
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
she hear of your death in this quarrel. Were you her brother
I should say that you would be right,—nay, that it would be
your duty to endeavour to punish the outrage against the hon-
our of your family. Were you openly betrothed to her you
would again have the right to punish her abductor; but, not
being either her brother or her betrothed, neither reason nor
public opinion would justify your doing so. Moreover, did you
fight with him and kill him, you would incur the gravest re-
sentment of the king, for in fact you would be impugning his
justice, which has considered banishment from court to be a
sufficient punishment for his offence. Not only was he a fa-
vourite of the king's, but he belongs, I understand, to a pow-
erful family who would, you may be sure, use their influence
with the king to bring about your punishment for the breach
of the decree against duelling, and you would be fortunate if
you escaped a long imprisonment."
The other was silent. "I feel that you are right," he said
at last, "but indeed it is hard that I should not be able to
avenge this outrage upon the lady who is to be my wife. I
may tell you that as soon as we return home our formal
betrothal is to take place, and ere long our marriage will be
celebrated, but I shall feel lowered in my own esteem if I
sit down quietly under this injury."
"I do not see that," Desmond said. "If you abstain from
challenging de Tulle, it is from no fear of the consequences,
but it is, as I have shown you, because, whatever the issue of
the contest, it would be bad both for you and her. If you
were killed, her life would be spoilt; if you killed him, you
might languish for years in one of the royal prisons. The
king prides himself on his justice, and by all accounts rightly
so, and I am sure that he would feel the deepest resentment
were you or anyone to show by your actions that you con-
sidered he has favoured the transgressor."


A NEW FRIEND
95
"You are right, Desmond; and at any rate for the present
I will put my intention aside; but should he ever cross my
path, assuredly I will have a reckoning with him. But how
is it that you, who are at least eight years younger than I
am, should argue as an old counsellor rather than a young
ensign?"
"I suppose, in the first place, it is from my bringing up.
I lived with and was educated by a good priest, one not
wanting in manliness and energy, but who often deplored
the system of duelling, which is as strong with us as it is
here, and denounced it as a relic of barbarism, and at any rate
never to be put in use on account of a heated quarrel over
wine, but only if some deadly injury had been inflicted, and
even then better left alone. Of course as an officer in one of
His Majesty's regiments I should be obliged to conform to the
general usage, for did I decline I should be regarded as hav-
ing brought dishonour on the corps, but my case differs alto-
gether from yours. In the next place, knowing you were com-
ing to Versailles, I thought over what course you would be
likely to pursue, ana considered it was probable you would
lose no time in challenging de Tulle. I have thought the mat-
ter over in every light, and made up my mind to endeavour to
dissuade you from doing so, if the opportunity offered. So
you see," he added with a smile, "I had prepared my array of
arguments against it, and I cannot but think that the opinion
of one interested, but not vitally so, on a point, is rather to be
taken than that of a person smarting under an injury."
"And now to turn to other matters. In three days we
start for the soutn. The baron accompanied me here, and
went to see your colonel, while I came to your quarters.
His object was to ask him to grant you a month's leave of
absence, with the provision, of course, that you should return
at once if the regiment was ordered on service."


9G
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"It is kind, indeed, of him," Desmond said, "but I doubt
whether the colonel will assent. It is not a month since I was
dismissed from drill and took my place with my company, and
I doubt whether he will consider that I am sufficiently versed
in my duties, or that, after being so short a time in the regi-
ment I have any right to leave."
"What you say is right enough under ordinary circum-
stances, but these are altogether extraordinary. Then, after
what you have done, he will feel it but natural that we should
wish to have you with us for a time. Moreover, I do not con-
sider that our journey will be altogether unattended by dan-
ger. From what I have heard of de Tulle, he is a man who
never forgives, and will pursue his object with the pertinacity
of a blood-hound. He has failed in his first attempt, but
there is no reason why he should not renew it, confident, per-
haps, that if successful the king, though he may feel it neces-
sary to feign much anger for a time, will finally forgive him
and take him into favour again, especially as his family would
bring all their influence to bear to bring this about. Doubt-
less he will be kept perfectly informed of what is going on
here. There are several forests to be traversed on the way, and
these are for the most part the haunts of robber bands; and
should the carriage be found overturned, and the baron and
his daughter missing, it would be put down as their work.
Having the baron as well as his daughter in his power, de
Tulle would find it easier than before to compel Anne to pur-
chase her father's freedom as well as her own by consenting to
his terms. Therefore, you see, the aid of a sword like yours
would be valuable, and no doubt your servant, who is also a
sturdy fighter, will accompany us.
"I can hardly think that de Tulle would venture upon so
bold a stroke as that, and yet he might do so. Men of that kind
are not accustomed to be thwarted, and it would be a satis-


A NEW FRIEND
97
faction to his resentment at his former failure as well as the
attainment of the wide estates of which Anne is heiress."
At this moment there was a knock at the door, and the
baron entered.
"My dear Monsieur Kennedy," he said, I have succeeded.
Colonel O'Brien has been pleased to say that you have been
so assiduous in learning your duties that he considers you as
capable of performing them as any of his subalterns, and that
you have just brought so much credit on the regiment that he
is pleased to be able to grant the favour I asked. Here is
your furlough duly signed. Now it only rests with yourself
to accept or refuse my invitation."
"I accept it most gladly, Baron. It will give me the
greatest pleasure to accompany you and mademoiselle and
Monsieur de la Vallee, whom I now regard as a dear friend,
to your home."
"That is settled, then," the baron said. "We start early
on Thursday morning. It would be well, therefore, if you
were to ride over on Wednesday evening and occupy one of
the many spare chambers there are in the house."
"I will do so willingly; and I shall ask the colonel to allow
my servant to accompany me."
"That is already settled. I told Colonel O'Brien that I
owed much to him also, and he at once acceded to my request,
saying that although the wound is healing, the surgeon said
that it would be a fortnight before he will be fit for serv-
ice; and, moreover, that it was a custom when an officer
went on leave that he should, if he wished it, take his soldier
servant with him."
"Thank you "gain, Baron. Mike is a faithful fellow, and
a shrewd one. I am so accustomed now to his services that
I should miss them and his talk very much."
"Have you heard, Mike," Desmond asked, when his serv-
(M«48) g


98 IN THE IRI8H BRIGADE
I
ant came up to his room after the baron and Philip dela
Vallee had left, "that you are to go with me to stay for a
month at Pointdexter?"
"I have, your honour. Sure I was sent for to the colonel's
quarters, and there I found a tall gentleman whom I had
never seen before as far as I knew. 'This is Mike Calla-
ghan, Mr. Kennedy's servant,' the colonel said, and the
baron stepped forward and shook hands with me, for all the
world as if I had been a noble like himself; and he said,
'My brave fellow, I have to thank you for the aid you gave
your master in rescuing my daughter, in which service you
received the wound which still keeps your arm in a sling.
Here is a token that we are not ungrateful for the service.
If you will take my advice you will hand it to an agent of
mine here in Paris, who will keep it for you, and you may
find it useful when the time comes for you to take your dis-
charge.'
"So saying, he put a heavy purse into my hand and said:
'You will find my agent's name and address on a card inside
the purse. I shall go round to him now and tell him that you
are coming, and that he is to use the money to your advantage,
and to hand it over to you whenever you choose to ask for it.
Your master is coming down to stay for a month with me, and
Colonel O'Brien has granted leave for you to accompany him.'
I thanked him heartily, as you may believe, sir; though, as
I said, I wanted no reward for obeying your orders and for
the share I took in that little skirmish. After I came out
I looked into the purse, which was mighty heavy, expecting
to find a handful of crowns; and it fairly staggered me when
I found that it was full of gold pieces, and on counting them
found that there were a hundred louis. Never did I dream
that I should be so rich. Why, your honour, when I lave the
regiment, which will not be for many a long year, I hope, I


A NEW FRIEND
99
shall be able to settle down comfortably for the rest of my
life in a snug little shebeen, or on a bit of land with a cottage
and some pigs, and maybe a cow or two; and it is all to your
honour I owe it, for if you hadn't given the word it would
never have entered my head to attack a gentleman's house
merely because I heard a woman scream."
"Well, I am heartily glad, Mike; and I hope that you will
take it straight to the agent's, and not break in upon it by
treating half the regiment to drink."
"I will, your honour. It was given to me to stow away for
the time that I might want it, and though I don't say that
my own inclinations would not lead me to trate a few of the
boys, I feel that I ought to do what the gentleman told me."
"Certainly you should Mike. If you once began to spend
it in that way, it is not one louis, but five or more, that would
disappear in a few hours. ■ I am heartily glad that the baron
has so handsomely rewarded you for the service, and if you
like I will go round with you this afternoon to his agent and
see the money safely deposited."
"Thank you, your honour. I shan't feel easy as long as I
have got it in my pouch. I should suspict everyone who
came near me, and should never dare take my hand off it lest
someone else might put his in."
"You are a lucky fellow, Kennedy," O'Neil said, when
Desmond told his two comrades of the arrangements that had
been made. "And if you go on like this the regiment
will believe that any good fortune that may fall to its lot is
the result of your luck."
"I really do not like having leave given to me when I have
been such a short time in the regiment. It does not seem fair
upon others."
"No one will grudge you that," O'Sullivan said. "It is
not as if we were at home; then, of course, everyone would


AN AMBUSCADE
101
theirs whom I had the pleasure of meeting this afternoon,
and to whom she is tenderly attached."
"By the powers but that is unlucky, Kennedy!" O'Neil
said; " and I have been thinking that your fortune was made,
and that the regiment would soon lose you, as you would of
course settle down as a magnate in Languedoc; and now it
seems that what we thought the proper sequence of your
adventure is not to come off after all. Well, lad, I con-
gratulate you on putting a good face on it and hiding your
disappointment."
"What nonsense you talk!" Desmond said laughing; "it
is you who have been building castles, not. I, and it is your
disappointment that they have fallen to pieces."
CHAPTER VI
AN AMBUSCADE
QN the morning arranged the cavalcade started from Ver-
sailles. The baron had instructed the stable-keeper where
the carriage and horses had been placed, to notify the Vicomte
de Tulle that he held them at his disposal. The woman,
who had been brought to Versailles, had been dismissed
after having made before a magistrate a deposition stating
how Mademoiselle de Pointdexer had been held a close pris-
oner, and that, with the exception of herself, no one whatever
had entered her apartment, except that the Vicomte de Tulle
had paid her a visit of some five minutes' duration on the
morning after she was brought there. A copy of this was
left in the magistrate's hands for safe-keeping, while the orig-
inal was kept by the baron, who regarded it as a most impor-
tant document, concerning as it did the honour of his daugh-


102
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
ter. Anne had travelled to Paris in the family coach, and
she again, with her maid, took her place in it. The baron,
M. de la Vallee, and Desmond rode on horseback behind it,
two armed retainers rode in front, and two others, with Mike,
took their places behind. The old servitor sat on the front
seat by the side of the coachman.
"I do not think, Desmond," Philip de la Vallee said, as the
baron fell back to talk for a while with his daughter," that
he has the slightest thought of our being attacked by any
of the agents of the vicomte, but I have made a good many
enquiries about the fellow in the past few days, and from
what I have heard I am still more convinced that before long
he is likely to renew his attempt to get possession of Anne.
I hear that his circumstances are well-nigh desperate. He
has mortgaged the income of his estates, which, of course,
he is unable to sell, as they go with the title to the heir.
He is pressed by many creditors, who, now that he has lost
the favour of the king, will give him no further grace. In-
deed, I understand that the king who is always liberal and not
infrequently makes considerable gifts to the gentlemen of
the court to enable them to support the necessary expenses,
has already assisted him several times, and that it was only
by such aid that he has been able to hold on as long as he has
done.
"He is, in fact, a desperate man, and his only hope is in
making a wealthy alliance. Therefore, putting aside his
pique and anger at having failed, the temptation to again
obtain possession of Anne is great indeed. Once married to
her he could, even if the king kept him in banishment, well
maintain his position as a country magnate."
"But Mademoiselle de Pointdexter cannot come into the
estates until her father's death."
"Not his estates, but those of her mother, who was also a


AN AMBUSCADE
103
wealthy heiress, and of which she will enter into possession
either on coming of age or on marrying. So you see he can
afford to disregard the enmity of her father as well as the
displeasure of the king, which probably would soon abate
after the marriage took place. If I had known when I left
home what had happened, and that if she was found we should
be returning home, I would have brought with me a dozen
stout fellows from my own estate. As it is, I sent off a mes-
senger yesterday with an order to my major-domo to pick out
that number of active fellows from among the tenantry, and
to start with the least possible delay by the route that we shall
follow, of which I have given him particulars. He is to ride
forward until he meets us, so that when he joins us we shall
be too strong a party for any force that the vicomte is likely
to gather to intercept us."
"A very wise precaution, Philip; but we shall be far upon
our way before this reinforcement can come up."
"We shall be some distance, I admit. My messenger will
take fully five days in going. He will take another day to
gather and arm the tenants, so that they will not start until
two days afterwards. Then, however, the^ will travel at least
twice as fast as we shall, hampered as we are by the carriage.
I should have suggested that Anne should ride on a pillion
behind me or her father, but I did not do so, because it would
have been necessary to explain to him my reasons for suggest-
ing the change; and moreover I felt sure that he would
not agree to it had I done so. Baron Pointdexter is one of
the largest land-owners in Languedoc, and although one of
the kindest and best of men, he has his full share of family
pride, and would consider that it was derogatory to his posi-
tion for his daughter to be riding about on a pillion like the
wife or daughter of some small landed proprietor or tenant
farmer, instead of in a carriage, as becomes her station.


104
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
Therefore, I must accept the situation, carriage and all, and
I can only hope that this villain will not attempt to interfere
with us before my men join us.
"Fortunately, even if a courier take the vicomte word that
the baron and his daughter have made their adieus to His
Majesty, the fellow cannot hear of it for two days, how-
ever fast the messenger may travel. Of course Tulle is nigh
a hundred miles nearer Paris than Pointdexter, which lies
between Florae and Ste. Afrique, both of which towns lie
within the circle of the estate. I admit that, foreseeing the
baron is likely to return to his estates without delay, the
vicomte may have made his preparations and be ready to
start as soon as he gets the news. Nevertheless he will
have a ride of some eighty miles to strike the road on which
we shall be travelling. He may then move north until he
finds some suitable place for a surprise; but even allowing
for his exercising the greatest speed we should be half-way
from Paris before we can possibly meet him, and my men
should join us by that time."
"You have forgotten one contingency, which would en-
tirely alter the state of things."
"What is that?" M. de la Vallee asked sharply.
"We give this villain noble credit for resource and enter-
prise. What more likely than that he has left a couple of his
retainers at Versailles with orders that should any messenger
be sent off by a southern road from the baron his journey is
to be cut short, and any paper or letter found upon him
carried with all speed to Tulle? In that case the chances
of our being met by a reinforcement are very small."
"Peste I you are right, Desmond. I never gave the matter
a thought. Now that you mention it, nothing is more
probable. It was the servant who accompanied me whom I
sent off, but as de Tulle would have been notified of my arri-


AN AMBUSCADE
105
val and the man started from the baron's house, it would be
deemed certain that he was either going to Pointdexter or
my own estate, and that the message he carried was a some-
what urgent one. Well, all we can do is to hope that the fel-
low has not thought of our taking such a precaution, and that
my messenger will arrive unmolested. Still, I acknowledge
that the idea makes me anxious, and I fear that we shall not
get through without serious trouble. There are so many
disbanded soldiers and other knaves in the forests that de
Tulle would have no difficulty in hiring any number of them
and carrying his scheme out without the assistance or knowl-
edge of his own tenants. The heavy taxation necessary to keep
up the expenses of the court has driven numbers of people
to despair, and many hitherto law-abiding folk are being
forced to leave their holdings and to take to unlawful courses.
However, it is of no use our telling the baron our fears. He
is obstinate when he has once made up his mind to a thing,
and nothing short of a royal command would induce him
either to change his route or to stop at one of the towns
that we shall pass through, and wait until my band arrives.
He would indeed consider his honour greatly attainted by
allowing himself to make a change of plans on the mere
chance that our suspicions were justified."
Six days passed without anything occurring. Impatient as
Philip de la Vallee and Desmond were to get forward, they
could not hurry the slow pace at which they travelled. Mad-
emoiselle Pointdexter was now suffering from the reaction
after her month of captivity and anxiety. The baron
therefore travelled with provoking slowness. Obtaining as
he did relays of horses at each post, they could without diffi-
culty have travelled at almost double the rate at which they
actually proceeded, but stoppages were made at all towns at
which comfortable accommodation could be obtained. In-


106
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
deed in some places the roads were so bad that the carriage
could not proceed at a pace beyond a walk without inflicting
a terrible jolting upon those within it.
"There is one comfort," Philip said, when he had been
bewailing the slowness of their pace, "my men should reach
us at Nevers at the latest, and you may take it as tolerably
certain that any attempt to interfere with us will take place
considerably south of that town. I should guess that it
would be somewhere between Moulins and Thiers. If our
escort does not come before we reach Moulins I shall begin
to think that your suggestion was correct, and that my
messenger has indeed been intercepted and slain."
Desmond could not gainsay the truth of his friend's calcu-
lation, but he said:
"Possibly, Philip, instead of being attacked by the way,
de Tulle's agents might rob him of his letter at one of the
inns at which he put up. Did he know its contents?"
"Yes; I told him that it contained an order for the major-
domo to ride with a troop of twelve men to meet us, and that
he was to give what aid he could in getting them together as
quickly as possible, so that even if robbed of the letter he
might still be able to fulfil his mission; not, I own, that I
thought of that at the time, for the idea that he might be
stopped never once entered my mind."
At Nevers, Desmond went round to all the inns in the town
to enquire if any body of men had put up at that place, but
without success. When he related his failure to obtain any
news to Philip, the latter said:
"Well, we must hope that we shall meet them before we
arrive at Moulins. If not, I shall no longer have any hope
that my messenger got through safely, and then we shall have
to consider whether it will not be necessary to inform the
baron of our fears, and to get him to change his route and


AN AMBUSCADE
107
make a detour, cross the Loire at Bourbon, make for Macon,
and then journey down the other bank of the Saone as far
as Pont St. Esprit, and thence over the mountains to Flo-
rae."
"That would certainly be the safest plan, always providing
that we have not been watched ever since we left Paris. The
vicomte might well take this precaution in case we should
deviate from the regular route."
"Sapristel Desmond, you are always full of evil prognos-
tications Still, as usual, I cannot but allow that there is
reason in them."
"You see, Philip, we have plenty of time, as we travel at a
snail's pace, and in the evening when we stop, to think over
the affair in every light. I always put myself in the
position of the Vicomte de Tulle, and consider what steps I
should take to ensure success in my next attempt to carry off
Mademoiselle de Pointdexter."
"Then I am very glad that you are not in the position of de
Tulle, for, if you were, I should consider that all was lost,
and that there was not a chink or crevice by which we could
escape. It is monstrous that a nobleman cannot travel from
Paris to his estate without being obliged to take as many pre-
cautions as the general of an army would have to do
against the attack of an active and formidable enemy."
"And will you tell the baron, Philip?"
"I hardly know what to do in that respect, for after all we
have no solid foundation whatever for our uneasiness beyond
the fact that the men I sent for have not met us. All our
apprehensions are due solely to the fact that this fellow
is utterly unscrupulous, and that his whole future depends
on his carrying out his insolent designs successfully. If we
had any solid facts to work on I would urge the baron to
change his route, but I fear that he would not only scoff at


108 IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
our views that there may be danger, but might be angry
at my taking the step of sending for a party of my retainers
without his being in any way consulted in the matter. At
any rate I feel sure that he would refuse to change his route
without some very much stronger reason than we can give him."
"Then we must let matters go on as they are, Philip; it
may be that really we have been alarming ourselves without
sufficient cause. If the worst comes to the worst we can
make a good fight for it."
"It is certainly hard on you. You have performed one brave
action for us at the risk of your life, and now you are thrust
into another danger perhaps even greater than the first, and
this in a quarrel in which you have no concern whatever."
Desmond laughed. "Do you not see, Philip, that the ad-
venture is good training for a soldier, and that if I am on duty
in command of a company I shall be all the more useful an
officer for having served a sort of apprenticeship in surprises,
ambuscades, and alarms. The journey has been vastly more
interesting than it would have been under other circum-
stances. We should have found it dull without such matter
of interest as this affair has given us, and, even should noth-
ing whatever come of it, it will have served its purpose by be-
guiling our journey, which, in truth, riding at so slow a pace,
would otherwise scarce have been amusing."
"Well, then, it seems that the only thing that we can do
is to see that the servants all keep their pistols charged and
are prepared to do their duty in case of sudden attack. Of
course, at present they have no idea that any special danger
threatens us, but I shall tell them before I start in the morn-
ing that we fear that the road is dangerous owing to a band of
robbers reported to be in the forest, and that they must hold
themselves in readiness for action in ease we fall in with any
of them. Old Eustace and the coachman have both got arque-


AN AMBUSCADE
109
buses. I shall tell them that, should they be attacked, they are
to fire at once, and then the coachman is to whip up his horses
and drive at full speed while we endeavour to keep off the
assailants."
"That would be of use if the assailants should be for the
most part on foot, but I think it more likely that they will be
mounted, and however fast this lumbering carriage might go,
they could easily keep up with it. Fight as hard as we may,
the carriage must be overtaken if they are in sufficient force
to overpower us. I should think that it would be well that
you should warn Mademoiselle Pointdexter that we hear
the road is not very safe, and that if there is trouble she is on
no account to attempt to leave the carriage. As long as she
remains there she will run but little risk, for you may be sure
that de Tulle will have issued the strictest orders that no pis-
tol is to be fired in its direction. I have also little doubt that
he has ordered the baron's life to be respected, because his
death would greatly add to the anger that would be excited
by the attack, and would also put a barrier between him and
mademoiselle, who would naturally regard him with even
more hostility than before as the author of her father's death.
Therefore, I trust that in any case his life and hers will not be
endangered, however numerous our assailants might be."
"Yes, I have no doubt that that is so, Desmond, though I
am sure that were I wounded and on the point of death I
would rather know that Anne had fallen by a chance shot
than that she was in the power of this villain."
The next morning they started very early for Moulins, for
the journey would be a longer one than usual, and the road
through the forest would probably be so rough that the pace
must necessarily be very slow. At two o'clock the men
riding ahead noticed that a tree had fallen across the road,
and one of them galloped back and informed the baron of it.


110
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"That is strange," the latter said; "there have been no
storms for the past two days. It must have fallen quite
recently, for otherwise the news would have been taken to the
nearest commune, whose duty it would be to see at once to its
removal."
Philip de la Vallee had, as the servant was speaking, glanced
at Desmond. To both it seemed that this obstacle could
scarcely be the result of an accident. "I will see how large
the tree is," the baron said; "whatever be its size it is hard
if eight men and four horses cannot drag it off the road." So
saying, he cantered forward, followed by the retainer, whose
comrade also fell in as they passed him.
"Look to your arquebuses," Philip said to the two men on
the box, and at the same time called up Mike and the two
men from behind. "A tree has fallen across the road," he said
to them, "and it is possible that this may be an ambush and
that we may be attacked, so hold yourselves in readiness, look
to your pistols, and see that the priming is all right in the
pans." Then they went to the door of the carriage.
"It is just possible that we are going to have trouble,
Anne," Philip said; "remember what I told you last night,
and on no account move from your seat, whatever may take
place."
As he spoke there was a discharge of firearms in front, and
at the same moment a score of horsemen broke from the trees
and rode down upon the carriage. Their leader was masked.
As they came up, the coachman and Eustace discharged their
arquebuses, emptying two saddles; then, drawing their swords,
both leapt to the ground. In the meantime Philip, Desmond,
and the three men dashed at their assailants. Philip made
for their leader, who, he doubted not, was the Vicomte de
Tulle, but the latter drew a pistol and fired when he was
within a horse's length of him. The young man swayed in


AN AMBUSCADE
111
his saddle and fell heavily to the ground, while a piercing
cry from the carriage rose in the air. Desmond, after cutting
down the first man he encountered, turned his horse and
attacked the masked figure, who met him with a fury that
showed he was animated by personal animosity.
His skill in fencing, however, gave him but slight advantage
in such an encounter, while Desmond's exercise with the sabre
in the regimental salle d'armes was now most useful to him.
Enraged at the fall of his friend, and seeing that there was
but a moment to spare, for already some of the other assail-
ants were coming to the assistance of their chief, he showered
his blows with such vehemence and fury that his opponent
had enough to do to guard his head without striking a blow
in return. Seeing in a moment that he would be surrounded,
Desmond made a last effort. The vicomte's weapon
shivered at the stroke, but it somewhat diverted the direction
of the blow, and instead of striking him full on the head, the
sword shore down his cheek, inflicting a ghastly wound,
carrying away an ear as well as the cheek from the eye to
the chin. Then, wheeling his horse, he dashed at two men
who were riding at him.
The attack was so sudden that one of their horses swerved,
and Desmond, touching his charger's flank with a spur, rode
at him and hurled horse and rider to the ground. A back-
handed blow struck his other opponent full in the throat, and
then he dashed into the wood, shouting to Mike to follow him.
The two servitors had both fallen, and the greater part of the
assailants were gathered round the carriage. Mike was en-
gaged in a single combat with one of the horsemen, and had
just run his opponent through when Desmond shouted to him;
so, turning, he galloped after his master. They were not
pursued. The fall of their leader had for the moment para-
lysed the band, and while three or four of them remained by


112
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
the carriage—whose last defender had fallen—the others, dis-
mounting, ran to where the vicomte was lying.
"That has been a tough business, your honour," Mike said,
as he joined his master. "It is right you were, sir, when you
told me that you were afraid that rascal would try and hinder
us on our way; sure it has been a bad business altogether.
Monsieur Philip is killed, and the baron too, I suppose, and
all the others, and Miss Anne has fallen into the hands of that
villain again."
"I do not think that the baron has been hurt, Mike. I
expect the orders were only to take him prisoner."
"Where are we going, your honour?" Mike asked, for they
were still galloping at full speed.
"I am going to get into the road again, and try to find
help at Moulins to recover the young lady. There is one
thing, she is not likely to be molested by that fellow for some
little time."
"Then you did not kill him, your honour?"
"No. I cut through his guard, but it turned my sword.
But I laid his face open, and it will be some time before he
will be fit to show himself to a lady. If, as I expect, I can
get no help at Moulins, I shall ride on to Monsieur de la
Vallee's place, gather some men there, and try to cut the
party off before they get to Tulle. If I am too late I shall
see what I can do to rescue them. From la Vallee I shall
go to Pointdexter. I have no doubt that we can get together
a force there large enough to besiege de Tulle's castle."
After an hour's ride they arrived at Moulins, and Desmond
rode at once to the mairie. Being in uniform he was received
with every respect by the mayor, who, however, on hearing
his story, said that he did not see how he could interfere in
the matter. It seemed to be a private quarrel between two
nobles, and even if he were ready to interpose, he had no force


AN AMBUSCADE
113
available; "but at the same time he would send out four men
with a cart to bring in any they might find with life in
them."
"Very well, sir," Desmond said indignantly; "you know
your duty, I suppose, and I know mine, and I shall certainly
report to the king your refusal to give any assistance to pun-
ish these ill-doers."
So saying, he left the room, and at once rode to some
stables. Leaving his horse and Mike's there, he hired others,
and then continued his journey south at full speed, and
before evening rode into Roanne. He knew that it was use-
less endeavouring to stir up the authorities here, as they would
naturally say that it was the business of the mayors at Nevers
and Moulins, since the attack had taken place between those
towns. Ordering fresh horses to be got ready, he said to
Mike:
"Do you go to all the inns on the left of the main street—
I will go to all those on the right—and inquire if a troop of
mounted men have come in. I am afraid there is no chance
of it, but it is at least worth the trial."
At the first four or five places he visited, the answer was
that no such party had arrived; then, seeing one of the civic
guards, he asked him if he had seen or heard of a troop of men
passing through the town.
"Such a troop arrived an hour ago, Monsieur l'officier.
They stopped as they passed me and asked if Monsieur le
Baron Pointdexter, accompanied by a carriage and some ser-
vants, had passed through the town. They put up at the
'Soleil', and I should think that they are there now, for
they had evidently made a long journey, and their horses
were too worn out to go farther."
Delighted at the unexpected news, Desmond hurried to the
inn. It was a second-class establishment, and evidently fre-
(M648) H


114
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
quented by market people, as there were large stables attached
to it. The landlord was standing at the door. He bowed
profoundly, for it was seldom that guests of quality visited
the inn.
"What can I do for monsieur 1" he enquired.
"You have a party of travellers who arrived an hour ago. I
have business with them."
"You will find them in this room, monsieur," the landlord
said, opening a door.
There were some twelve men inside; the remains of a
repast were on the table; some of the men were still sitting
there, others were already asleep on benches. One, who was
evidently their leader, was walking up and down the room im-
patiently. He looked up in surprise when Desmond entered.
"You are the intendant of Monsieur de la Vallee, are you
not?"
"I am, sir," the man said, still more surprised.
"I am a friend of your master. We have been expecting
to meet you for the past four or five days. He was travelling
south with the Baron de Pointdexter and his daughter. We
were attacked this afternoon on the other side of Moulins.
The baron and his daughter were, I believe, carried off; the
servants all killed. I saw your master fall, but whether
mortally wounded or not I cannot say. I and my servant cut
our way through the assailants, who were led by the Vicomte
de Tulle, who had before carried off Mademoiselle de Point-
dexter. I was on my way south to la Vallee, with but faint
hope of meeting you on the road."
"This is bad news indeed, sir," the intendant said. "I
trust that my master is not killed for we all loved him. As
to Mademoiselle Pointdexter, it was an understood thing that
she one day would be our mistress. It is not our fault that
we were so late. Our master's messenger was attacked near


AN AMBUSCADE
115
Nevers, and was left for dead on the road. The letter he
bore and his purse were taken from him. The night air
caused his wounds to stop bleeding, and he managed to crawl
to Moulins. Having no money he was unable to hire a horse,
and indeed could not have sat one. He went to an inn fre-
quented by market people, and there succeeded in convincing
an honest peasant who had come in with a cart of faggots that
his story was a true one, and promised him large pay on his
arrival at la Vallee. The pace was, as you may imagine, a
slow one, but two days ago he arrived home, and told me
the story. I had the alarm-bell at the castle rung at once,
and in half an hour the tenants came in, and I chose these
twelve, and started an hour later. Fortunately the master
had told the messenger what was the purport of his letter,
and we have ridden night and day since. I am at your
service, monsieur."
"In the first place let your men have a sleep. It is eight
o'clock now. I will give them seven hours. At three in the
morning we will mount. There are not beds enough here,
but if you get some clean straw scattered down in one of the
sheds the men can lie there. In the meantime I will go round
and hire fresh horses, leaving your own in pledge for their
safe return. You had better pick out two of your men to ride
on to Moulins. The mayor there promised to send out a cart
to fetch in any wounded who might be found at the scene of
the conflict. If on their arrival they find that Monsieur de la
Vallee is not among these, they must ride on till they get there
—it is some three leagues from the town—and bring in his
body together with those of his servants. They must arrange
to give them Christian burial there, but your master's body
they will, of course, take on to la Vallee. His last wish, of
course, would be that Mademoiselle de Pointdexter should be
rescued from the power of the villain noble who has carried


116
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
her off. Starting in the morning so early we shall have no
difficulty in cutting him off long before he arrives at Tulle.
He will probably cross the Alier at the ferry at St. Pierre le
Moutier. I must look at a map and see the road that he is
likely to follow, but it is probable that he will make by country
tracks till he strikes the main road from Moulins."
"Well, I should think, sir, that he would cross it near
Aubusson, and then pass over the mountains by the road
through Felletin and come down upon Meimac, when he will
be only two leagues from his castle near Correze. There is a
good road from here to Aubusson, and we might take post on
the road between that town and Felletin. At least, sir, we can
avenge the murder of our dear master, though we have arrived
too late to save him and can rescue Mademoiselle de Point-
dexter and her father."
The men who had roused themselves and listened to the
conversation with many ejaculations of fury and regret, now
exclaimed that they were ready to ride on at once.
"There is no occasion for that, my friends," Desmond said;
"the coach with mademoiselle can travel but slowly, es-
pecially along country roads."
"Perhaps the vicomte may take her on the saddle behind
him," the intendant suggested.
"That he will not do," Desmond said. "In the fight I
wounded him so sorely that he will, I think, have to be
caried in a litter, and he will be in no condition for fast or
long travelling, so that they certainly are not at the present
time many leagues from the spot where they attacked us, and
cannot reach Aubusson until the day after to-morrow. We
might cut them off before they arrive there, but we do not
know what road they may follow, and might miss them;
whereas, from what you say, there can be no doubt that they
would pass through Felletin."


AN AMBUSCADE
117
"I think that he would be sure to come that way, sir, for if
he followed the road on to Limoges questions might be asked.
At any rate, sir, we might post a man at Aubusson, and
another at Pont Gibaut, as he might make from that town to
Felletin through the village of Croc. How many men has he
with him?"
"That I cannot tell you. Some twenty mounted men
under his own leading attacked the carriage. Two were shot
by Eustace and the coachman. I disposed of two more, and my
soldier servant of another. The two mounted men and
the two servants probably killed two or three more at least be-
fore they themselves fell, so that the vicomte would only have
some twelve mounted men with him. But there was another
party in ambush, and I eannot say how strong they were; but
probably altogether there would be twenty. There are ten
of your men after sending two off to Moulins. Now there is
yourself, my servant, and I, so we shall be thirteen. With
the advantage of surprise I think that we may calculate
upon an easy victory, especially as I imagine that the men
employed in the affair are not de Tulle's own retainers, but
some robber band that he hired for the purpose; and these,
having no special interest in the matter beyond earning the
pay, are not likely to make any very determined resistance."
Desmond now went back to the hotel where he had put up
his horse. He found Mike awaiting him there, and the latter
was delighted when he heard the news of the arrival of the
party from la Vallee. Desmond's purse was but lightly
furnished, and as he saw that the expenses might be heavy he
went to a jeweller's
"I want to borrow fifty louis," he said," on this ring. It is,
I imagine, worth a good deal more, since it was a present to
me from the king."
The jeweller examined the ring carefully.


118
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"It is a valuable one indeed, sir," lie said, "and I would
willingly lend you double as much upon it."
"Well, we will say seventy-five then," Desmond said. "I
think that will be ample for my purpose."
Having received the money, he returned to the inn, accom-
panied by Mike, and went around to the various stables in the
town, where he hired fifteen horses. These were to be taken
to the "Soleil" at three in the morning, and the men who
brought them were to take back the tired horses as security.
At that hour the party started, and after a ride of some
thirty-five miles reached Clermont, where they stabled the
horses for six hours. Late that evening they arrived at
Aubusson, having accomplished a journey of some seventy
miles. One of the men had been left at Pont Gibaut with
orders to take a fresh horse and ride on to Aubusson, if the
party they were in search of passed through the town. At
Aubusson Desmond took a fresh horse and rode back to Pont
Gibaut, enquiring at all the villages along the road whether
a party of twenty men had been seen to cross the road at
any point. Then he took four hours' sleep, and at daybreak
started back again, making fresh enquiries till he arrived at
Aubusson. He was convinced that the band had not at that
time crossed the road on its way south.
At ten o'clock he started out with his party, followed the
road by the side of the Crorrere river—here a mere streamlet
—and halted in a wood about five miles from Felletin. At six
o'clock in the afternoon a horseman was seen coming along
and was recognized as the man who had been left at Pont
Gibaut. Desmond went out to meet him. He reported that
at twelve o'clock a party of horsemen had come down on to
the road a mile to the west of the town. He had followed at
a distance, and they had turned off by the track leading to
Croc. They had with them a carriage and a horse-litter and


AN AMBUSCADE
119
were travelling slowly. Desmond and his men at once shifted
their position, and took up a post on the track between Croc
and Felletin. An hour later the party of horsemen were seen
approaching the wood in which they were hidden. Desmond
drew up the men, all of whom were armed with pistols as
well as swords, in line among the trees. He waited until the
carriage was abreast of them and then gave a shout, and the
men at once dashed upon the escort.
Taken completely by surprise, these made but a poor fight
of it. Several were shot down at once. The vicomte, whose
head was enveloped in bandages, leapt into the saddle of a
horse whose rider had been shot, and, drawing his sword, rode
at Desmond, who was making for the door of the carriage.
Expecting no such attack, he would have been taken by sur-
prise had not Mike, who saw his danger, shouted a warning,
and at the same moment discharged his pistol. The ball struck
de Tulle in the forehead, and he fell back dead. His fall at
once put an end to the conflict. The robbers, who had lost
some eight of their number, at once turned their horses'
heads and rode off at full gallop. As Desmond drew bridle
by the carriage, the door opened and the baron leapt
out.
"By what miracle have you effected our rescue, my dear
Monsieur Kennedy?" he exclaimed. "My daughter told me
that she saw you and your servant break your way through
these brigands and ride off. She has been suffering an agony
of grief for Philip, whom she saw shot. Have you any news
of him?"
"None, sir. I, too, saw him fall, but whether he was killed
or only wounded I am unable to say. I have sent two men
to bring him into Moulins, and I trust they will find that he
is only wounded."
"My daughter saw you cut down that villain with a terri-


120
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
ble blow. We have not seen him since, but we know that he
was carried on a horse-litter behind the carriage."
"At any rate, he will trouble you no more, Baron. My
man shot him through the head just as he was riding to
attack me from behind."
"Thank God we are saved from further persecutions I And
now tell me how you came to be here."
"It was simple enough, Baron. I found twelve men with
Monsieur de la Vallee's intendant at Boanne. Philip, who
feared that the vicomte would endeavour to make a further
effort to repair his fortune by carrying your daughter off on
the road sent a messenger to his intendant to ride at once
with twelve men to meet us, and had all gone well they would
have joined us fully two days' journey north of Nevers. The
messenger was attacked on the way, robbed of his letter and
purse, and left for dead. He managed to crawl to Nevers,
and there, being too weak and ill to sit a horse, he hired a
peasant's cart and made the journey slowly and painfully to
la Vallee. As he knew the purport of the letter, two hours
after his arrival there the intendant started and rode without
drawing bridle to Boanne. There by great good fortune I
found them, though men and horses were alike done up.
Knowing, however, that the vicomte in his wounded state,
and embarrassed with the coach, could proceed but slowly, I
let them have seven hours' sleep, and in the meantime hired
fresh horses for them; and we rode that day to Aubusson,
and this morning moved down to within five miles of Felletin.
I left a man on the road to Pont Gibaut, and he brought us
word that you had left the main road and were travelling
through Croc, so we moved at once to intercept you; and you
know the rest."


IN PARIS AGAIN
121
CHAPTER VII
IN PABIS AGAIN
OTJ have indeed done well, Monsieur Kennedy," the baron
said, when Desmond finished his story. "Now let us see
to my daughter. Her maid is attending on her. She fainted
when the fight began. She is not of a fainting sort, but the
trials of the last few weeks, and her belief that de la Vallee
was killed, have very much upset her."
"No wonder," Desmond said. "It must have been terrible
indeed to lose her lover, and to know that she was again in
the power of that villain. And you, Baron; how did you
escape the fate that befell the rest of your convoy?"
"We had ridden close up to the tree, when suddenly there
was a discharge of firearms. The two men with me fell at
once; I was unhurt, but as I turned my horse he fell dead,
three bullets having pierced his chest. Before I could recover
my feet the rascals were upon me; they evidently intended
to take me alive for they were provided with ropes, and,
binding my arms, hurried me back to the carriage. By the
time we got there all was over; my faithful Eustace and the
coachman lay dead by the side of the carriage. They had
fought stoutly, for three of the brigands lay beside them. Six
others were scattered near, and the brigands were gathered
round a fallen man who I guessed was their leader. I found
Anne in a state of the wildest grief. She told me that she
had seen Philip shot by the vicomte just as he was attacking
him, and that you in turn had cut down the villain.
"For half an hour nothing was done, and then one who was
evidently in authority over the others left the troop and came
up to the carriage.
"' Monsieur le Baron,' he said, 'the orders of my chief are


122
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
that you are to be placed in the carriage with your daughter
and her maid. If you will give your word of honour that
you will not attempt to escape, or to give the alarm as you
go along, or to address a word to anyone whom we may
encounter, your arms will be freed, and you will be treated
with all respect. If, on the contrary, you decline to give this
promise, my instructions are that your feet as well as your
hands are to be tied, and that you are to be gagged and
placed in the bottom of the carriage. You are also to answer
for your daughter and her maid, that they too, neither by
word nor gesture, shall attempt to attract the attention of
anyone in the villages that we may pass through."
"It was a hard condition, but I had no choice. The idea
that I should suffer the indignity of being bound and gagged
like a common malefactor made my blood boil. I should in
that case no more be able to give the alarm than if I had been
free; therefore I gave the promise, for at least it would be
a comfort to Anne that I should be with her and able to talk
to her. We stopped two nights on the road, being lodged
at solitary houses on the way. A guard was placed at my
chamber door and another at my window, and even had I
not given my word I could not have escaped. And now,
Monsieur Kennedy, what do you propose?"
"I think, sir, that it would be best that you should start
at once in the carriage for Pointdexter. Monsieur Philip's
intendant and his men will ride as your escort, but I do not
think that there is the slightest probability of your being
interfered with, for now that the vicomte is dead, these men
—who were not, I think, his retainers, but a band of robbers
whom he had hired for the occasion—will have no further
motive for attacking you. I myself shall return to Aubusson,
send back the horse on which I rode there, hire another, and
make straight for Moulins, where I still hope that I may find


124
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
The party now separated. The baron mounted one of the
horses left behind by the brigands, and with the men from la
Vallee started for Pointdexter, while Desmond, with Mike
Callaghan, rode back to Aubusson. There they slept for a few
hours, and then obtained fresh horses and started for Moulins,
where they arrived late in the evening. They alighted at the
"Soleil", where Desmond had ordered the two men who had
gone on from Roanne to bring the body of Monsieur de la
Vallee.
"The gentleman is not here, sir," the landlord said as he
came to the door. "He was brought into the town by the
men sent out by the mayor. As by his dress he was evi-
dently a gentleman of quality, they took him straight to the
'Couronne V
"Was he alive?"
"Yes, sir; but, as I hear, the surgeons are unable to decide
yet whether he will live. The men you sent here arrived the
day after he was brought in. They told me that you would
return, and put their horses here, but they are now in atten-
dance on the wounded gentleman, who it seems is their
lord."
"Thank God he is alive!" Desmond exclaimed. "I have
news for him that will do more than the surgeons can to re-
store him to himself." Leaving Mike to see the horses stabled,
he hurried away to the other hotel. He sent up his name, and
one of the surgeons came down.
"Monsieur de la Vallee is very ill," he said, "although his
wound is not necessarily mortal. This morning we succeeded
in extracting the ball, but he is in a terribly weak state. He
is unable to speak above a whisper, and does not seem to care
to make any effort. It would appear that he even does not
wish to live."
"I have news that will put fresh life into him."


IN PARIS AGAIN
125
"Then by all means go in and see him, sir. We have
thought that he is fast sinking; but if the news you bring
can rouse him into making an effort to live, he may yet
recover. I will go in and give him a strong restorative, and
tell him that you are here."
In three or four minutes he came to the door of the chamber
and beckoned to Desmond to enter.
"The sound of your name has roused him from the lethargy
into which he seemed sinking," he whispered. "When I told
him that I could not allow you to enter until he had taken the
draught that I gave him, he swallowed it eagerly."
Desmond went up to the bedside and took the hand which
lay on the coverlet. The pressure was slightly returned, and
Philip's lips moved, but he spoke so faintly that Desmond had
to lean over him to hear the words. "I am glad, indeed, that
you are safe and sound. I have been reproaching myself
bitterly that I should have brought you into this fatal busi-
ness. As to the rest of it, I dare not even think of it; but I
shall die all the easier for knowing that you have escaped."
"I escaped for a good purpose, Philip. I have good news
for you. Monsieur le Baron and mademoiselle are on their
way to Pointdexter, under the guard of your men."
"Is it possible, Desmond, or are you only saying it to rouse
me?"
"Not at all, Philip. You do not suppose that even for that
purpose I would hold out false hopes to you or tell an un-
truth on a matter so vital to your happiness."
Philip's eyes closed, but his lips moved, and Desmond knew
that he was returning thanks to God for this unlooked-for
news.
"How did it happen?" Philip said, after a silence of some
minutes. His voice was much stronger than before, and there
was a faint touch of color in his cheeks. The surgeon nodded


126
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
approvingly to Desmond, and murmured, "I think that he
will live."
"It is too long a story to tell you in full now," Desmond
said. "Seeing that all was lost, that you were down, and that
further resistance was absolutely fruitless, Mike and I cut our
way out, the more easily since I had struck down their
leader de Tulle and most of his band had crowded round
him. At Roanne I found your men, who had just arrived
there. It matters not now why they had been detained. I got
fresh horses for them and rode for Correze, placed an ambush,
and turned the tables upon them. Mike shot the vicomte, and
we easily defeated his followers and rescued the baron and his
daughter. I sent them to Pointdexter under charge of your
intendant and followers, and rode hither, hoping against hope
that I might find you still alive. Your two men who came on
here could have told you that I had escaped."
"I did not allow them to speak to monsieur," the surgeon
said ," or even to see him. They are below, greatly grieved
at being refused entry; but I told them that any agitation
might be fatal to their master, and that they could do nothing
for him if they came up; for indeed, up to the time when we
extracted the ball, he was unconscious. And now, monsieur, I
think that it were best you should retire. I shall give Monsieur
de la Vallee a soothing draught; a night's rest will be of vital
importance to him. And now that you have relieved his
mind of the load that has evidently weighed upon him, I
think there is little doubt that he will soon fall asleep."
"I will go and have supper," Desmond said, "for I have
ridden fifty miles since I last ate, and then it was but a piece
of bread with a draught of wine. After that I will, with your
permission, return here, and if you tell me that he sleeps, will
take my place by his bedside till morning."
"To that I have no objection," the surgeon said. "I and


IN PARIS AGAIN
127
a colleague have one or other been with him since he was
brought in; and I shall be glad of a rest myself."
Desmond returned to the " Soleil", where he had left Mike.
The latter, who had just finished his supper, was delighted to
hear that de la Vallee was likely to recover. After satisfying
his own hunger Desmond returned to the " Couronne ". He
went upstairs, and, taking off his riding-boots, stopped at the
door of his friend's chamber. It stood a little ajar, and, push-
ing it open noiselessly, he entered. The surgeon who was
sitting at the bedside rose at once.
"He is asleep already," he whispered, "and is breathing
quietly. I think it likely that he will not stir until to-
morrow morning. I shall be here at six. If he wakes and
there is any change, send for me at once."
After he had left the room Desmond took his place on the
fauteuil by the bedside. For a time he thought over the
singular chain of adventures that he had gone through.
Gradually, in spite of his efforts, his eyelids drooped. De la
Vallee had not moved, and, being dead tired by the exertions
of the past four days, he fell into a deep sleep, from which he
did not awake until daylight streamed into the room. Shocked
at having thus given way, he looked anxiously at de la Vallee,
and was relieved to find that he was lying exactly in the same
position and had evidently slept without once waking. Half
an hour later Philip opened his eyes, looked wonderingly at
him, and then said:
"So it was not all a good dream, Desmond? You are really
here and your news is true?"
"Certainly it is true, Philip. By this time Mademoiselle
de Pointdexter and her father are far on the way home. They
were to have travelled on to Argentan and then through
Aurillac, striking the Lozere at Entraigues and proceeding
along its banks to Mende, and thence by a road over the hills


IN PARIS AGAIN
129
"And when shall I be fit to travel, doctor?"
"Ah, well, we will talk of that in another fortnight's time.
You need absolute quiet, for were you to move before your
wound is fairly healed inflammation might set in, and that
would throw you back for a long time. You have had
a very narrow escape, and you are fortunate indeed to have
got off with only a trifling detention."
"But I might be carried in a horse-litter?"
"Certainly not at present," the surgeon said decidedly.
"Possibly in ten days you might without danger be so carried,
providing they take you in short stages and with easy-paced
horses, but I should say that it would be still better were you
to be carried on men's shoulders. There is never any diffi-
culty in hiring men, and you could get relays every eight or
ten miles, while it would be difficult to get horses accustomed
to such work."
"You don't think that I should be able to ride, doctor?"
"Certainly not in less than a month, probably not in six
weeks."
"Then I must be carried," Philip said. "I should work
myself into the fever you talk of if I were to be kept here.
What are your plans, Desmond?"
"I have not thought of them yet. At any rate I shall stay
with you till you are well enough to start."
"I could not think of that, Desmond."
"You have no say in the matter, Philip. In the first place,
you will get on all the faster for my being with you; in the
next place, ten days of my leave are already expired, and were
we to go on straight to Pointdexter I should only have a
few days there before starting back for Paris, and I must
therefore postpone my visit to some future time. I can stay
here ten days, accompany you some four days on your journey,
and then turn back again."
(M648) I


130
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"A nice way of spending a month's holiday!" Philip
grumbled.
"It will be a holiday that I shall long look back to,"
Desmond said quietly, " and with pleasure. I do not say that
I should not have enjoyed myself at the baron's chateau, for
that I should have done; but the adventures that I have gone
through will remain in my mind all my life as having gained
the friendship of yourself, the baron, and his daughter."
"Friendship seems to me too mild a word for it, Desmond.
You have earned a gratitude so deep that it will be a pain to
us if we cannot show it in deeds."
"And now, Philip," Desmond said, changing the subject
abruptly, "I suppose that you will be at once sending off one
of your men with the news that you are in a fair way towards
recovery. Mademoiselle de Pointdexter is suffering at the
thought that you were probably killed. I did my best to
give her hope, but without much success. Your two retainers
have been fretting greatly that they were not allowed to see
you, but I think that now they can be brought up, and you
can choose one of them to act as your messenger. He will,
of course, ride post, and can arrive at Pointdexter very soon
after the baron, if indeed he does not get there first. If he
starts at once and changes horses at each place, he may be
there by to-morrow at noon, if not earlier, for it is not more, I
believe, than a hundred and twenty miles to Pointdexter. If
you will dictate a letter for him to take I will write it for
you."
"It must be a short one," the surgeon said, "just a few
words. Monsieur de la Yallee has talked more than is good
for him."
Half an hour later the messenger started, carrying a note
with a few words from Philip to Anne, and a longer letter
from Desmond to the baron. Four days later answers were


IN PARIS AGAIN
131
received. The messenger had arrived at Pointdexter two hours
before the travellers reached home, and Anne's joy at the news
that not only was Philip alive, but might in a short time be
with her, was deep indeed. The baron wrote to Desmond as
well as to Philip, again expressing the deep gratitude of him-
self and his daughter, greatly regretting "that he should not
have the opportunity at present of thanking him personally.
With the letter the messenger brought a bag of money, con-
cerning which he wrote:
You have, I know, dear Monsieur Kennedy, expended a con-
siderable sum of money in hiring relays of horses for yourself
and M. de la Vallee's men, and this, of course, is a debt you
cannot object to my repaying. Without knowing the exact
sum, I have roughly calculated the probable amount, and for-
ward it to you by the messenger who will bring you this letter.
Desmond had no hesitation in accepting the money. The
baron had evidently taken considerable pains to calculate the
sums that he must have laid out, in order not to hurt his
feelings by sending a larger sum than he had spent, for the
amount contained in the bag was but a few louis over his
disbursements. He at once rode over to Roanne and redeemed
his ring, which had proved of more value to him than he had
ever anticipated.
At the end of the ten days Philip was strong enough to walk
across the room, and the surgeon gave permission for him to
start, if, instead of being carried all the way, he would be taken
to Lyons, which was but twenty miles distant, and there take
boat down the Rhone to Viviers. Desmond went with him
to Lyons, and saw him comfortably bestowed on board a craft
going down the river, and there left him in charge of his own
retainers. Then, accompanied by Mike, whose wound was now


132
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
well healed, he rode back to Paris by comparatively easy
stages, arriving there on the day before his leave was up. He
reported himself to the colonel.
"So you have not been to Pointdexter after all! I received
a long letter a week ago from the baron, sent by special mes-
senger, giving me a full account of your doings, which reads
like a chapter of romance. He mentioned that he had also
written to the king denouncing the conduct of the Vicomte de
Tulle, and stating that in the fight between his own rescuers
and the vicomte's band the latter was killed, and doing full
justice to the part you played in the affair. I had a message
from His Majesty yesterday, ordering that you should as soon
as you returned, go at once to Versailles, in order that he
might question you further on the affair. I have another piece
of news for you. We have received orders to march in three
days' time, which is a fortunate circumstance for you, for
there can be no doubt that, however gallantly and well you
have behaved in this affair, and in whatever light His Majesty
may view it, you have incurred the enmity of de Tulle's fam-
ily and connections, and the air of Paris would not be healthy
for you for a time. I need not say that I have read the bar-
on's letter to your comrades, and that they fully shared with
me the admiration I feel at your conduct."
"Had I better start at once for Versailles, sir?"
"I think so. The king is not pleased at being kept waiting.
He is sure to ask you when you arrived. You had better take
one of my horses; I will order it to be brought round, and
shall be at your quarters by the time you have put on your
full uniform."
The king had just returned from hunting when Desmond
arrived at the palace and gave his name to one of the ushers.
Five minutes later he was conducted to the king's dressing-
room.


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IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
would in no degree have mitigated—indeed it would have in-
creased—our anger at his conduct, since it would have seemed
as if he had relied upon it for immunity for his action. Surely
such a belief would have been an erroneous one; the law must
be observed, and the higher placed a man is, the more is he
bound to set an example of obedience to it. We thank you, sir,
for having thwarted so daring and villainous a scheme. We
have not yet sent an answer to the Baron de Pointdexter, be-
cause we wished your report of the matter before doing so. We
shall now cause him to be informed of our indignation at the
plot against his person and that of his daughter, and our sat-
isfaction that they have escaped from it. You have begun
your career well indeed, young sir. Your regiment is about to
start for the frontier; we shall direct your colonel to report to
us from time to time as to your conduct, and shall see that
your promotion is in accordance with your actions, and shall
request him to offer you any opportunity that may occur for
distinguishing yourself."
Desmond rode back to Paris well satisfied with the result of
the interview. He had not been slow in noticing that although
the king's approval of his actions had been warmly expressed
in words, there was a certain coldness in the tone in which
they were spoken, which showed that although the king's
sense of justice constrained him to praise, he was at heart sore
at the death of one who had been a favoured companion in
his sports and amusements. On his return he found his two
friends waiting for him at his quarters. They gave him a
hearty greeting.
"You are a perfect paladin, Kennedy," O'Neil said; "and
though we are all proud of you we cannot help feeling a little
envious that such adventures have all fallen to the lot of our
junior ensign. It is evident that if you were not born with a
silver spoon in your mouth, fortune determined to make up


IN PARIS AGAIN
135
in other wayB by giving you such chances as do not fall to the
lot of anyone else."
"Yes, I think I have every right to consider myself ex-
ceptionally fortunate."
"You may have been fortunate, Kennedy," O'Sullivan re-
marked; "the thing is, that you took advantage of the oppor-
tunities. You threw yourself into the first adventure that
came your way, rescued a lovely damsel in distress, and her
gratitude and that of her father attracted the king's notice
and gained that ring on your finger. In the next place, after
escaping from the ruffians who attacked the coach—princi-
pally, as it seems, by cutting down their leader and so occupy-
ing the attention of his f ollowers—you instantly took the reso-
lution to attempt to rescue him and his daughter, and suc-
ceeded in doing so. Another man might have stopped at
Moulins, congratulating himself that he had escaped from the
trap, and lamenting that he could do nothing towards again
rescuing this damsel from her abductors. Of course it was
a piece of good fortune meeting de la Vallee's men at Roanne,
but I have no doubt that if you had not done so you would
still have got to Pointdexter, gathered a force, and intercep-
ted the vicomte's party."
"It would have been a very near thing, O'Sullivan. Chang-
ing horse at every post I might have got to Pointdexter from
Roanne in twenty-four hours; but I doubt whether, even al-
lowing that no time was lost in getting the men together, I
could have got to Tulle before them. They had but one hun-
dred and fifty miles to travel, I should have had still farther;
and as they would have had three days' start, they should have
been there before me, for I heard from the baron that in ad-
dition to the four horses in the coach, they had four others,
ridden by troopers, fastened to it where the road was bad."
"What would you have done if they had got to the vi-


136
IS THE IEISH BRIGADE
comte's chateau—it is, I believe, a strong place—before you
could intercept them?"
"I cannot say what I should have done; I thought the
matter over and over again as we rode. It seemed absurd
to think of attacking a chateau with only twelve men; and
besides it would have been a very serious business to assault
a noble in his own castle. There would almost certainly be
twenty or thirty men there at the least, and the ringing of
the alarm-bell would have brought all his vassals within five
miles round to his aid at once. I have no doubt that I should
have attempted something, but in what way I could form no
idea until I saw the place."
The two young men laughed. "I believe that you would
have succeeded somehow, Kennedy," O'Neil said. "After what
you have done I have an almost unlimited faith in you, and if
you told me you could see no other plan than carrying off His
Gracious Majesty, and taking him down to Tulle and forcing
him to order this rascal vicomte to deliver up his captives, you
would accomplish it."
Desmond laughed. "The plan might be as good as another,
though I own that it had not occurred to me; but it would
certainly necessitate my having him held prisoner until I had
got safely out of France, otherwise my fate would assuredly be
to be broken on the wheel."
"Yes; I don't think His Gracious Majesty would have
forgiven such an indignity even if put upon him for a good
purpose. It is almost treason even to dream of such a thing."
Desmond laughed. "It was a purely imaginary case; but
you see, not having been accustomed, as you are, to a country
where the king is regarded almost as a god, I am afraid I
have not that awe of him that is generally entertained here.
I have naturally a great respect for the king whom I serve,
and whose pay is a matter of the greatest importance to me;


IN PARIS AGAIN
137
but, after all, although in his service, he is not my lawful
kin*"
"Then you would not even imagine such a thing as to take
your lawful king, James, prisoner, however much the fate of
someone in whom you were interested was concerned?"
Desmond did not answer at once. "I don't know," he said
at last, "what I should do in such a case. For King James
as lawful king of my country I have the deepest respect, and
would freely venture my life in his service; but for him as a
man, irrespective of his crown, I own that my admiration is
not extreme, and that I should not hesitate to join'in any
plan for putting pressure upon him on behalf of anyone in
whom I was extremely interested, as I certainly am now in
Mademoiselle de Pointdexter and Monsieur de la Vallee."
"You are a curious fellow, Kennedy," O'Neil said with a
smile, "and I should be very much puzzled if I were called
upon to predict what your fate is likely to be. It seems to me
that you have an equal chance of becoming a French marshal
or being broken on the wheel. Here you are, not yet seven-
teen; you have, as I doubt not, somewhat interfered with the
king's plans, and caused him the loss of one of his personal
friends; you have twice rescued a noble lady from the hands
of her abductors; you have brought disgrace and death upon a
member of one of the most powerful families in France; you
have earned the gratitude and friendship of one of the leading
nobles of Southern France, that of the fiance of his daughter,
and of the daughter herself. As soon as this affair spreads
abroad you will be the object of general remark and attention.
You have rendered the regiment to which you belong proud
of you, its junior ensign, and made Paris emphatically too
hot to hold you. If all this is done before you are seventeen,
what may we expect when another ten years have passed over
your head?"


138
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"You had better wait for the ten years to pass, O'Neil,"
Desmond laughed; "by which time perhaps you and O'Sulli-
van will both have learned wisdom, and will see that because a
man happens to have gone through a very exciting adventure
without discredit, it by no means proves him to be anything
in the smallest degree out of the way."
CHAPTER Vni
TO SCOTLAND
rpWO days later the regiment was paraded, but no order had
been received for their start, and their destination was
still uncertain. The officers stood in a group awaiting the
arrival of the colonel, who entered, accompanied by Colonel
Wauchop and several other Irish officers. As there had been
no notice of an official inspection there was a general feeling
of surprise at the appearance of the visitors. The colonel
rode up to the group of officers. "Gentlemen," he said," I
must ask you all to accompany me to the common room. I
have news of importance to give you." He and those with
him dismounted, and, followed by the wondering officers of the
regiment, went into the large room where they gathered in the
evening. "The news that I am about to give you is of an
important and happy nature. His Most Gracious Majesty
has decided to send an expedition to Scotland, where the
whole country is ready to rise in favour of our lawful king."
A cheer broke from his hearers.
"Many Scottish and Irish gentlemen," the colonel went on,
have been selected to accompany it. Among them is my
friend Colonel Wauchop and the officers with him. The
expedition will consist of six thousand French troops. I re-


TO SCOTLAND
139
gret to say that no Irish regiments will accompany it." A
groan of disappointment followed this announcement. "We
must hope," the colonel said, "that Irish troops are not em-
ployed only because it is intended that another expedition
will sail to Ireland, in which case we may be sure that some
of us will have an opportunity of fighting again on our own
side of the water. Moreover, between France and Scotland
there has long been a close connection and friendship, and
the employment of French troops would therefore better suit
the Scots than would be the case with Irishmen. Another
reason perhaps is, the King of France does not like to spare
his best troops when he has sore need of them in Flanders and
Spain. However, a number of Irish officers will accompany
the expedition for the purpose of drilling and commanding
the new levies, for which work they will be far better suited
by their knowledge of English than French officers would be.
Therefore the various Irish regiments are all to furnish a
certain number of lieutenants. Generals Hamilton, Sheldon,
Dorrington, and Lords Galmoy and Fitzgerald and our friend
Colonel Wauchop will be in command of the newly-raised
force, having with them many Scotch officers now in the
service of France.
"The secret of the expedition has been well kept, but I
have known it for a fortnight, and have prepared a list of the
fifteen officers who are to go. I may say that, in order to
avoid partiality, I have, with one exception, selected them by
lot. Those who are to go will doubtless consider themselves
fortunate; those who are to stay are still more lucky, if, as
I hope, the regiment will form part of a similar expedition
sent to Ireland."
He then read out a list of the officers chosen. O'Sullivan
and O'Neil were both among them, and the name of Desmond
Kennedy was the last read out.


140
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"Youi will, gentlemen, start in an hour's time, taking the
northern road through Montvidier and Arras. In each of
these towns you will be joined by officers from other regi-
ments. Colonel Wauchop will accompany you. I ■ do not
name the port from which you are to sail, and no word must
be said by you as to the route you are to travel, but you can
no doubt judge for yourselves by the road that you are taking
what port is your destination. The French troops will be
already there, and the fleet is all in readiness. You all have
horses. You can each take your soldier servant with you,
but those who do so must either hire or purchase a horse for
him. All further details you will learn from Colonel Wau-
chop, and the paymaster will have orders to issue two months'
pay to each of you in advance. The distance will be about
a hundred and fifty miles, and you will perform it in five
days."
Colonel Wauchop then addressed a few words to the offi-
cers, all of whom were under the rank of captain.
"Gentlemen," he said, "you have an honorable task before
you. For years we have been waiting for the day when our
swords might aid to place our king upon the throne. At last
it has come. I need not say that the struggle will be a severe
one, and that your courage will be taxed to the utmost, but
you have proved that in a score of desperate fights. The task
before you will need tact to no ordinary degree. The Scotch
are as peppery a race as the Irish are, and it will be necessary
in no way to hurt their feelings or to excite among them the
smallest degree of discontent at being drilled and led by men
who are not of their own race. And now, as we have much
to do before starting, I will leave you to make your arrange-
ments. The rendezvous for us all is in your barrack-yard,
and at nine o'clock we shall be here."
The colonel now left the room, and the officers eagerly and


TO SCOTLAND
141
excitedly talked over the startling news that they had just
heard. The greater part of those who had been selected for
the service were delighted to go, while the others were equally
pleased at the thought that they might shortly be fighting for
King James on the soil of Ireland.
"Sure, your honour, I wish it had been in the ould coun-
try instead of Scotland," Mike said when he heard the news.
"I cannot say that I agree with you, Mike. In Ireland we
should find tens of thousands of brave hearts ready to join us,
but they are unarmed, undrilled, and undisciplined, and
would be of comparatively slight assistance to us against the
English troops. Defeat would bring down fresh persecutions,
fresh confiscations, and greater misery upon the land."
"Sure we would beat them, your honour."
"We might, Mike; but you must remember that we failed
to do so even when the people were armed. No doubt we
shall take a certain amount of muskets and ammunition with
us, but the power of England is more assuredly fixed in Ire-
land now than it was then—the influence of the old Irish fam-
ilies is broken, and even if we armed all who joined us, it would
be but an armed rabble and not an army. In Scotland it is
altogether different. The Scottish clans would join us under
their chiefs, to whom they give absolute obedience, and they
would turn out armed and ready for action. Thus, then, I
think that, allowing that Ireland is as loyal as Scotland, the
choice has been a wise one."
"Sure, you know best, your honour; but I will warrant that
as soon as Scotland rises, Ireland will be in a blaze from one
end to the other."
"That may well be, Mike; but there will then be a chance
of success, since the English forces will be fully occupied by
our descent in the north, which will threaten London, while
Ireland can be left to itself until the main question is settled."


142
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"It is mighty lucky, your honour, that I should have stuck
to the horse we got when we rescued Miss Pointdexter."
"I am very glad too, Mike, for otherwise I should have had
to buy one, and it is likely enough that I may want all the
money I have before this campaign that we are starting upon
is over."
O'Neil and O'Sullivan at this moment burst into the room.
"It is glorious that we three should all be going, Kennedy!"
the latter exclaimed. "It is just your luck, for you are the
only ensign named, while the regiment will be left with only
four lieutenants. Of course I should be still better pleased if
we were going to Ireland. Still for anything we know that
expedition may not come off, and so that we are fighting for
the king it's all one whether it is in Scotland or at home."
Having seen that all was ready for departure, Desmond
went to the colonel's quarters to say good-bye. Several of the
officers who were going were already there, and the colonel
motioned to him to stay until they had left. When they had
done so he said, "Perhaps you guessed, Kennedy, that you
were the one exception I mentioned to the rule I adopted of
fixing by lot upon those who were to go."
"No, indeed, sir," Desmond said in surprise; "I thought
it an extraordinary piece of good fortune that I should be the
only ensign to go when there were so many others all senior
to me. Indeed I thought for a moment of saying that I
would resign in favour of one who was older and more ex-
perienced than myself; but then it struck me that if I did,
some of the junior lieutenants might feel themselves obliged
to do the same in favour of their seniors."
"I should not in any case have permitted a change to be
made. I had decided that, in order to avoid jealousy, chance
should decide the matter. Indeed, you are the only ensign
going with the expedition. I informed Colonel Wauchop and


TO SCOTLAND
143
General Hamilton of the reason for which I specially in-
cluded you.
"So long as it was supposed that the regiment was on the
point of marching to Spain I considered that if you took my
advice and did not leave the barracks after nightfall no harm
would befall you. But the case is altered now that it may
remain here for some time, for no doubt it will take part in
any expedition sent to Ireland. I have heard within the past
forty-eight hours that the friends of de Tulle have made very
strong representations to the king. They have urged that your
proceedings, involving what they call the murder of their
kinsman, were of the nature of civil war, and that if his con-
duct had been reprehensible it was for the Baron de Pointdex-
ter to lay the matter before His Majesty and ask for redress.
I hear, however, that the king received their remonstrances
coldly, told them that de Tulle bad brought his fate upon him-
self, that it was the duty of every gentleman to endeavour to
rescue a lady so feloniously carried off, and that he approved
of the readiness and energy with which you had taken steps to
do so. On finding, then, that they have failed in their hope
of having you sent to one of the royal prisons, from which
you would probably never have come out alive, I have no doubt
whatever that these people will endeavour to take the matter
into their own hands, and that, with the means at their
disposal, they will find no difficulty in procuring persons who
would undertake to assassinate you. As I have said, if you
had at once started for the army we might have looked after
your safety until you crossed the frontier, but here in Paris
you would not be safe for an hour, and could scarce venture
between the barracks and your lodging unless under a strong
guard. Under such circumstances T consider that I was justi-
fied in placing you on the list of the officers who would ac-
company the expedition. I explained to General Hamilton


144
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
and Colonel Wauchop, who both happened to be with me, my
reasons for wishing to include so young an officer in the
ranks of those selected for the service. The officers heartily
agreed with me, having, of course, heard the story, or, at
any rate, the main facts of your rescues of Mademoiselle de
Pointdexter."
"I am indeed greatly obliged to you, Colonel. I know that
it is a dangerous thing to incur the enmity of one of those
powerful families, and though I should certainly have taken
every precaution in my power, I felt that I should be in
constant danger until we fairly embarked upon a cam-
paign."
At nine o'clock the party started; it numbered some fifty
officers, Scotch and Irish. The baggage had started half an
hour before; it was to join the carts with the baggage of the
other officers outside the northern gates, and was under an
escort of dragoons whose officer had powers given him to re-
quisition fresh horses at each town through which he passed,
and so to push on to the port with but two halts. Once off
there was no longer any necessity for keeping their destina-
tion a secret, and the officers were informed that, as they had
already guessed, Dunkirk was the harbour from which they
were to sail.
The journey was a pleasant one; all were in the highest
spirits. A short distance behind them marched a body of
infantry composed entirely of non-commissioned officers, of
whom O'Brien's regiment furnished thirty. All were picked
men, and, marching each day as far as the party of officers
rode, arrived at Dunkirk on the fifth day after starting, and
were at once embarked on the ships of war. Colonel Wauchop
and the officers of O'Brien's regiment were told off to the
Salisbury, which was a ship that had been taken from the
English and was now loaded with military stores, arms, and


TO SCOTLAND
145
munitions for the use of those who were expected to join
them on landing. After seeing that the officers were all pro-
perly accommodated the colonel went ashore, and when he
returned it was at once seen by the expression of his face that
something was wrong.
"I have very bad news," he said. "King James, who
arrived here two days ago, has been taken suddenly ill, and
until he is partially recovered we cannot sail, for it is abso-
lutely necessary that he should be with us. This may mean
the delay of a week or ten days and may defeat all our
arrangements. The English government have spies here as
well as elsewhere, and their fleet has for the last week been
hovering off the coast. They may not have known the purpose
of the assembly of troops here, for this has been kept strictly
secret, and few even of the French officers of the expedition
knew, until they arrived here, for what reason the regiments
had been ordered to Dunkirk. But the arrival of King
James of course showed what was the intention, and as soon
as the news reaches London you may be sure that the English
fleet will be sent to intercept us."
It was indeed ten days before James was sufficiently re-
covered to be embarked—a delay which probably cost him his
kingdom, for there can be no doubt that on landing he would
have been joined at once by all the great clans and by no
small proportion of the able-bodied men of the country. The
consequences were so evident to all engaged in the expedition
that despondency took the place of the enthusiasm with which
they had embarked. The fact that the expedition, after being
so carefully and secretly prepared, should at its outset meet
with so serious a misfortune was considered an omen of evil.
At last, however, James embarked under a salute by the
guns of the ships of war, and as the sails were hoisted
and the anchors weighed, the spirits of all again rose. They
(xM8) J


146
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
had sailed but a few miles when it became evident that
the Salisury was the slowest ship in the fleet, for, although
she had every stitch of canvas set, she lagged behind the rest,
and the other vessels were obliged to lower some of their sails
in order to allow her to keep up with them."
"I begin to think, Kennedy," O'Neil said, "that the good
fortune that has hitherto attended you has spent itself.
O'Sullivan and I both regarded it as a good omen that you
should be the one ensign selected to go with us, but this
miserable delay at Dunkirk, and the fact that we are on board
the slowest tub in the fleet, seems to show that Dame Fortune
is no longer going to exercise herself in your favour."
"It looks like it, indeed," Desmond agreed. "Still, I can't
hold myself responsible for either the king's illness or for our
being allotted to this heavy-sailing craft, and, perhaps, even
if fortune should not favour me any longer, she will do some-
thing for some of the others. She has always been favourable
to Colonel Wauchop. He has been through innumerable
engagements. Though many times wounded he has never
been seriously so, though scores of other officers have fallen
in enterprises in which he has taken part. In his case fortune
has not been fickle, and as he is the chief officer on board, we
must hope that she has not deserted him on this occasion. I
think there is a certain amount of luck in the fact that we
carry a large amount of guns and ammunition. If that had
not been the case, it is likely that, rather than delay, the
squadron would sail on at full speed, and have left us to follow
as best we might."
A constant watch was maintained at the mast-head of the
ship, but no signs were seen of the English fleet, until, on the
23rd of March, six days after sailing, they reached the mouth
of the Firth of Forth, and were congratulating themselves
that they had brought the voyage to a successful termination,


TO SCOTLAND
147
At daybreak next morning, however, just as they were about
to enter the estuary, they beheld the masts of a great fleet
coming out to meet them. This was the squadron of Sir
George Byng, which had for some days been on the coast,
having been despatched as soon as the news reached London
of the gathering of ships and troops at Dunkirk, and of the
arrival of the Pretender there. The French admiral at once
signalled to all the ships to put about, and he lay off until the
English fleet were near enough to discern its composition,
which was far superior in force to his own. Seeing the im-
possibility of landing the troops and stores, and the slight
chances of success in giving battle, he hoisted the signal for
all to make their way back to Dunkirk, keeping as much as
possible together, in order to defend themselves if overtaken
or if intercepted by another hostile fleet.
In vain James begged that a few boats might be given him
with which to land with his chief followers. The French
admiral replied that his instructions would not justify him in
doing so, and that he had been ordered to specially protect
the person of the young king, whose safety was of the highest
concern to his sovereign. It was with the deepest feeling of
disappointment and depression that the Scotch and Irish
officers heard that it was determined to sail for Dunkirk
again. Had the troops on board the ships been of their own
nationality, they would have ordered them to disobey the
admiral's commands, and to insist upon the fleet, if it suc-
ceeded in evading the pursuit of the enemy, making another
effort to effect a landing. As, however, all the soldiers were
French with the exception of two or three hundred non-com-
missioned Irish officers, they were powerless, and were half-
mad with rage and grief.
"This looks bad for us," O'Sullivan said gravely to his two
friends. "I think that the French ships will outsail the


148
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
English, but there is little chance that this unwieldy craft
will do so; in which case, my friends, it is likely that we
shall all see the inside of an English prison, and that probably
not a few of us will be executed. The colonel should be safe,
for he came over with the Brigade after Limerick, and there-
fore by that treaty was allowed to enter the service of France;
but it is different with the rest of us. We have all joined
since those days, and are therefore not covered by the treaty,
and so are liable to be tried as traitors."
O'Neil shrugged his shoulders. "Well, we knew that when
we joined," he said. "However, I hardly think they are
likely to proceed to such an extremity. Very many of our
Brigade have been taken prisoners at Blenheim and other
places, and they have always had the same treatment as other
prisoners of war."
"That may be," O'Sullivan replied; "but this is a different
matter. It is not a question of war on foreign soil. We
were going to attack the throne of Anne, to promote civil war,
and to overthrow the government. The attempt once made
can be made again, and you may be sure that the news of our
sailing has created a tremendous scare throughout the country.
However, we are in for it, and there is no use grumbling
against fate. Already, you see, the rest of the fleet are leav-
ing us—faster, I think, than the English fleet are gaining on
us—and I trust they will get safely away into Dunkirk.
The fact that we so nearly succeeded will perhaps act as an
inducement to Louis to renew the expedition, and the loss of
a colonel, fifteen lieutenants, and thirty non-commissioned
officers will not seriously affect anyone except ourselves."
"However," Desmond put in, " I think that, after all, things
may not be as bad as you think. In the first place, our execution
would have an extremely bad effect in Scotland and Ireland,
and would add to the general hostility to the present govern-


TO SCOTLAND
149
merit. In the next place, Louis has many English prisoners
in his hands, and might threaten reprisals. Lastly, there is
always a chance of escape."
"Your first two arguments are good, Kennedy," O'Neil said,
"but I cannot say as much for the last. The chances of es-
cape from an English prison must be small indeed."
"Nevertheless there must always be chances," Desmond
said. "If you will take my advice you will at once go below
and conceal your money."
"Where are we going to conceal it?" O'Sullivan said.
"You may be sure that we shall be searched."
"Well, you took my advice in changing the silver in which
you were paid into gold, though you lost pretty heavily by the
transaction. We did it to prevent lugging about a heavy bag
of silver. Now it has its advantages. You could not hope to
conceal silver, but we may at least hide a few pieces of gold.
Mike is a handy fellow, and I have no doubt will be able to
help us. At any rate let us go below and see what can be
done."
Mike was summoned to the cabin. "Now, Mike," Desmond
said, "I suppose in a campaign a good many of you carry
what money you may have about you, and I dare say some of
you hide it so that if you are taken prisoners you may have
means of adding to your prison fare."
"We do, your honour, and by the same token I have a
score of crowns in between the soles of my boots. It does
not always succeed, for if your boots happen to be good, the
chances are that someone takes a fancy to them. Still, on the
whole, that is the best place there is, for they are sure to feel
all the lining of your clothes."
"Well, we want to hide some gold, Mike. In another
hour we shall have the English within shot of us, and of
course fighting is out of the question. Do you think that


150
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
you will have time to hide a dozen gold pieces in each of our
boots?"
Mike looked doubtful.
"To do the thing properly, your honour, one should take
off the lower sole, take some leather out of the upper one,
put some money in, and then sew it up again; but it would
take more than an hour to do one pair."
He thought for a moment.
The quickest way would be to get out the inside lining of
the sole, then to cut out enough leather for the money to
lie in, then to put in the lining again. It would not be soft
walking on a twenty-mile march, but I think, if I get the
lining in tight, with a few little nails to keep it from drop-
ping out if anyone takes the trouble to turn the boots upside
down, I might manage it."
"Well, let us commence at once then, Mike. We have all
got riding-boots, and can put them on before we are taken
prisoners. Do you take the linings out as you say, and then
we will help to cut out some of the leather of the upper sole."
They were quickly at work. Mike cut out enough of the
thin lining to admit of a hole being made large enough to
hold ten louis in each boot, and he and the two officers then
set to work to cut out a sufficient depth of leather for the
coins to lie side by side. Half an hour sufficed for this. The
coins were put in. Mike had in the meantime obtained
a handful of pitch and melted it at the galley fire. This he
ran in over the gold, and then replaced the pieces of lining
with hot pitch.
"There, your honours," he said, when he had finished;
"I call that a neat job, and it would be hard indeed if the
spalpeens find that there is anything amiss. And with these
heavy boots the extra weight won't betray that there is any-
thing hidden. Don't put them on till the last moment; give



THE ENGLISH OFFICER RECEIVED THE BWORD8 OF THE
FRENCH OFFICERS.





TO SCOTLAND
151
them time to cool, for if any of it oozes out you will stick
your stockings so tight to it that you won't get your foot out
without laving them behind."
Leaving their high boots in the cabin, the three young men
went on deck. The leading vessel of the British fleet was
not more than a mile astern, while the French fleet was three
miles ahead, having gained more than a mile since the chase
began. Mike had been given four louis, which he said he
could hide in his mouth. Five minutes later there was a puff
of smoke from their pursuer's bow. The ball struck the water
close to them.
"Shall I hold on, Colonel?" the captain of the ship asked
Colonel Wauchop.
"There is no use in your doing so; that ship will be along-
side in an hour, and it might only cause a useless loss of life
were we to keep on. If she were alone I should say let her
come alongside, and with your crew and our officers and men
we might, if we had luck, take her by boarding; but with
the whole fleet close behind us it would be madness to think
of such a thing, as we have but twelve guns, and those of
small weight."
Accordingly the topsails were run down, and the courses
brailed up, and the ship lay motionless till the English frigate
came up. Signals had been exchanged between the English
vessels, and as they came along six of them dropped boats,
each with some twenty men in it. While these rowed towards
the prize, the fleet pressed on under all canvas in pursuit of
the French squadron. The English officer in command of the
boats received the swords of the French officers, and the non-
commissioned officers were all sent below into the hold. All
sail was at once got on to the vessel again, and she followed in
the wake of the fleet. The English lieutenant then took the
names of the prisoners.


152
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"You are all Irish," he said seriously. "I am sorry,
gentlemen, that this should be so, for I fear that it will go
harder with you than if you were French, when, of course,
you would be merely prisoners of war."
"We should be prisoners of war now," Colonel Wauchop
said; "we are in the service of the Bang of France, and
were but obeying his orders, along with our French com-
rades."
"I hope they may see it in that light in London," the
officer said courteously; "but I doubt whether at the present
moment they will take a calm view of the subject. However,
I hope they will do so, especially as no shot has been fired
by you, and they cannot charge you with resisting capture.
At any rate, gentlemen, I will do my best to make you
comfortable while you are under my charge. I must ask a
few of you to shift your quarters so as to make room for me
and the three officers with me; beyond that, you will continue
as before, to use the ship as passengers."
When darkness set in the pursuit was discontinued. The
French fleet was fully ten miles ahead, and it was evident
that there was no chance whatever of overtaking it, while
there was a risk of its doubling back during the night and
again making its way north. The greater part of the sails of
the men-of-war were therefore furled, while the frigates and
corvettes made off on either hand to establish themselves as
sentries during the night, and to give warning should the
French fleet be seen returning. An hour and a half after the
pursuit had ceased the Salisbury joined the fleet, and the
officer in command went on board the admiral's ship to report
the number of prisoners taken and the nature of her cargo.
The officers had, at his invitation, dined with him and his
officers in the cabin. All political topics had been avoided,
and no one who had looked in would have supposed that


TO SCOTLAND
153
the majority of those present were the prisoners of the
others."
The Irish temperament quickly shakes off a feeling of
depression, and the meal was as lively as it had been during
the voyage north. The lieutenant, however, omitted no pre-
caution. A dozen men kept guard over the prisoners below,
and as many more with loaded muskets were always stationed
on deck. The Irish officers saw that among many of the
sailors there was a strong feeling of sympathy with them.
The fleet had been largely recruited by impressment, and by
the handing over to the naval authorities of numbers of men
imprisoned for comparatively slight offences, and, as was
natural, these had but small feeling of kindness towards the
government who had so seized them; while many shared in
the feeling of loyalty towards the house of Stuart, which was
still so prevalent among the population.
At daybreak the cruisers all returned. None had seen any
signs of the French squadron, and Sir George Byng, leaving
the majority of the fleet to maintain watch, sailed with his
prize for Harwich.
Here the prisoners were handed over to the military authori-
ties, while the admiral started for London in a post-chaise to
carry the news of the failure of the French to effect a landing,
and of their return to Dunkirk,—news that was received with
exuberant delight by the supporters of Government and the
commercial portion of the population, who had been threatened
by ruin. The run upon the banks had been unprecedented,
and although the House of Commons had relaxed the regula-
tions of the Bank of England, the panic was so great that it
could not have kept its doors open another twelve hours.
The treatment of the prisoners was now very different from
what it had been on board ship. Not only were they confined
to prison, but, to their indignation, irons were placed on their


154
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
legs as if they had been common malefactors. The only miti-
gation allowed to them was that their servants were permitted
to attend upon them.
Their clothes had been rigorously searched and their boots
taken off,but no suspicions had been entertained that coin had
been hidden in those of Desmond and his friends. Two days
later an order was received from Government, and the officers
were marched up to town ironed as they were, under a strong
guard, and were imprisoned at Newgate. Callaghan and the
other servants remained in prison at Harwich.
"Things are looking bad, Kennedy," O'Neil said dolefully,
for the three officers had, at their own request, been allotted
a cell together.
"They don't look very bright, but we must make allowance
for the awful fright that, as we hear, has been caused by the
expedition. Possibly when they have got over the shock,
things may be better."
"I will never forgive them for putting irons on us," O'Sulli-
van said passionately. "If they had shot us at once it was, I
suppose, what we had a right to expect, but to be treated like
murderers or ruffians of the worst kind is too bad."
"Well, we were rid of the irons as soon as we got here.
No doubt these were only put on to prevent the possibility of
any of us escaping. I am sure by their looks that some of our
escort would willingly have aided us, only that it was im-
possible to do so; and, knowing how large a number of per-
sons would sympathize with us, I cannot blame them so very
much for taking steps to prevent our escape."
"I never saw such a fellow as you for finding excuses for
people," O'Sullivan said almost angrily. "You look at things
as calmly as if they concerned other people, and not our-
selves."
Kennedy smiled. "If an opinion is to be worth anything,


TO SCOTLAND
155
O'Sullivan, it must be an impartial one; and it is best to look
at the matter calmly, and to form our plans, whatever they may
be, as if they were intended to be carried out by other people."
O'Sullivan laughed. "My dear fellow, if you had not gone
through those adventures I should have said that you had
mistaken your vocation, and were cut out for a philosopher
rather than a soldier. However, although your luck did not
suffice to save the Salisbury from capture, we must still hope
that it has not altogether deserted you; and anyhow, I am
convinced that if it be possible for anyone to effect an escape
from this dismal place, you are the man."
Newgate in those days stood across the street, and consti-
tuted one of the entrances to the city. Its predecessor had
been burnt in the great fire of 1666, and the new one was at
this time less than forty years old, and though close and badly
ventilated, had not yet arrived at the stage of dirt and foulness
which afterwards brought about the death of numbers of pri-
soners confined there, and in 1750 occasioned an outbreak of
jail-fever which not only swept away a large proportion of the
prisoners, but infected the court of the Old Bailey close to it,
causing the death of the lord mayor, several aldermen, a judge,
many of the counsel and jurymen, and of the public present
at the trials. The outward appearance of the building was
handsome, but the cells were for the most part small and ill-
ventilated.
"This place is disgraceful," O'Neil said; "there is barely
room for our three pallets. The air is close and unwhole-
some now, but in the heat of summer it must be awful. If
their food is as vile as their lodging, the look-out is bad
indeed."
"I fancy the cells in the French jails are no better," O'Sul-
livan said. "No doubt in the state prisons high-born prison-
ers are made fairly comfortable, but the ordinary prisoners


156
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
and malefactors, I have been told, suffer horribly. Thank
goodness I have never entered one; but even the barrack cells
can scarcely be called inviting."
"You are learning philosophy from Kennedy," O'Neil said
with a laugh.
"I don't know as I shall feel philosophic if we are served
with nothing but bread and water. However, the turnkey
told us that until we have been tried and condemned we are
at liberty to get our food from outside—certainly a mockery
in most cases, considering that we all were relieved of any
money found upon us when we arrived in Harwich. It is a
comfort that we are, as he said, to take our meals together,
and the money we have in our boots will alleviate our lot for
some time. Probably it will last a good deal longer than we
are likely to be here."
When they joined their companions in the room in which
they were to dine, all were astonished at seeing an excellent
dinner on the table with eight bottles of wine.
"Is this the way they treat prisoners here?" Colonel Wau-
chop asked one of the jailers, of whom six remained present.
The man smiled. "No, indeed; it has been sent in from a
tavern outside, and with a message that a like meal will be
provided as long as you are here. One of us was sent across
to inquire as to the person who had given the order. The
landlord said that he was a stranger to him, but that he had
paid him a fortnight in advance, and would call in and renew
the order at the end of that time."
"Well, gentlemen," the colonel said, " before we begin to eat
we will drink the health of our unknown benefactor. Not only
is the gift a generous and expensive one, but it cannot be
without danger to the donor, for none but a strong adherent
of King James would have thought of thus relieving our
necessities."


AN ESCAPE FROM NEWGATE
157
It was plain that the authorities suspected that some mes-
sage might have been sent in to the prisoners concealed in the
viands. The bread had been cut up into small squares, the
crust had been lifted from two pasties, the meat had evidently
been carefully searched; and the turnkeys placed themselves
round the table so that they could narrowly watch every one
of the prisoners as they ate, and notice any movement that
would seem to indicate that they had come across some pellet
of paper or other substance.
Every day the servants at the tavern brought in similar
fare, and this continued as long as the prisoners were in the
jail; and it was a matter of deep regret to all that they were
never able to discover the name of the person to whom they
were so much indebted.
CHAPTER IX
AN ESCAPE FROM NEWGATE
A FTER being allowed to remain an hour at the table, the
prisoners were again marched off to their cells.
"I wish we had Mike with us," Desmond said, as he and his
comrades discussed the possibility of escape. "He is a shrewd
fellow, and would probably be allowed greater freedom in
moving about the prison than we are; but I was sure that we
should see no more of him after we left Harwich. Of course
the first question is, are we to try bribery, or to work our way
out of this cell?"
"I think that it would be dangerous to try bribery," O'Sulli-
van remarked. "Our turnkey is a sour-faced rascal. I am
convinced that if we were to try to bribe him he would de-
nounce us at once. Not from any principle, you know, but be-


158
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
cause he would think that it would pay him better to do so,
and so obtain promotion and reward, rather than to accept our
money and run the risk of being detected and hanged."
"I don't blame him," O'Neil said. "He is, as you say, a
sour-looking rascal, but I don't think that he is a fool, and
none but a fool would run that risk for the sake of the money
that we could give him, for in any case we should have to
retain a portion of our store in order to obtain disguises and
maintain ourselves till we could find means of crossing the
channel."
"Then let us put that idea altogether aside, O'Neil, and give
our whole attention to the manner in which we are to ecape."
"The manner in which we are to try to make our escape!"
O'Neil repeated with a laugh.
"Well, put it that way if you like. Now in the first place
there is the window, in the second the door, and lastly the
walls and floor."
"The door would withstand a battering-ram," O'Sullivan
said. "I noticed as I went out that it was solid oak some four
inches thick, with two bolts as well as the lock, and, moreover,
if we could get through it we should be no nearer escaping
than we are at present. What with the corridors and passages,
and the turnkeys and the outer gate, that course seems to
me impossible. Let us come to the second point, the window."
They looked up at it. The sill was fully six feet from the
ground. The window was a little over a foot wide, with a
heavy bar running down the centre, and cross bars.
"The first point is to see where it looks out on," Desmond
said. "I will stand against the wall, and as you are the
lighter of the two, O'Neil, you can stand on my shoulder and
have a good look out and tell us what you see. Give him
your hand, O'Sullivan. Put your foot on that, O'Neil, and
then step on my shoulder."


AN ESCAPE FROM NEWGATE
159
O'Neil was soon in his place. "You need not hold me," he
said; "the wall is very thick, the bars are placed in the middle,
and there is just room for me to take a seat on the edge, then
I can see things at my ease."
He sat looking out for a minute or two before he spoke.
"Well, what can you see?" O'Sullivan asked impatiently.
"This room is on the outer side of the prison," he said.
"I noticed as we came in that it was built along on both
sides of the gate, and no doubt this side stands on the city
wall."
"Then what do you see?"
"I see the ground sloping steeply down to a stream that
runs along the bottom of it. There are a good many small
houses scattered about on the slope and along by the stream.
Over to the left there is a stone bridge across it; near this is
a large building that looks like another prison, and a market-
place with stalls in it; houses stand thickly on either side of
the road, and beyond the bridge the opposite side of the slope
is covered with them. Among these are some large buildings.
If we were once out there would not be much chance of our
being detected if we had something to put over our uniforms;
but of course they would betray us to the first man we met."
"Yes, of course," O'Sullivan said; "but we might possibly
obtain plain clothes at one of those small houses you speak of,
though that would be risky."
"We might leave our coatees behind us and go only in our
shirts and breeches, and give out that we had been attacked
and robbed of our money and coats by footpads," Desmond
said.
"That is a good idea," O'Neil agreed. "Yes, that might
do, especially as after dark they would not be likely to notice
that our breeches were of a French cut."
"But it seems to me that we are beginning at the wrong


AN ESCAPE FROM NEWGATE
161
up at this prison, and then walk off slowly as if they were
filled with pity for us. Now I propose that one of us shall al-
ways be at the window."
"Oh, that is too much," O'Sullivan said. "That ledge is
so narrow that I could hardly sit there even holding on by
the bars; and as to stopping there half an hour, I would
almost as soon be on the rack."
"There will be no occasion for that," Desmond said. "We
can easily move one of the pallets under it, pile the other
straw beds upon it, and, standing on these, we could look
out comfortably, for our shoulders would be well above the
ledge."
"I don't see that we should be nearer to it then, Kennedy."
"We should have gained this much, that directly we saw
any person looking up with a sympathizing air, especially if
of a class who could afford to do what is necessary for us, we
could wave our hands and attract his attention. If disposed to
help us he might give some sign; if not, no harm would be
done. We might, too, tie a handkerchief to the bars, which in
itself might be taken for an indication that there are followers
of the Stuarts here."
"But supposing all this turned out as you suggest it
might, how could even the best-disposed friend do anything to
help us?"
"That is for after-consideration; let us first find a friend,
and we shall find a way to open communication with him.
we have no paper, but we could write the message on a piece
of linen and drop it down. As far as we can see from here,
there is nothing to prevent anyone coming up to the foot
of the wall below us."
For the next four days nothing whatever happened. They
could see that the white handkerchief at the bars attracted
some attention, for people stopped and looked up at it, but
(HUS) k


162
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
continued their way without making any gesture that would
seem to show that they interested themselves in any way in
the matter.
On the fourth day Desmond, who was at the window, said
in a tone of excitement, "There is a man down there who,
after looking fixedly in this direction, is making his way
towards us. He does not come straight, but moves about
among the houses; but he continues to approach. I can't
make out his face yet, but there is something about him that
reminds me of Mike, though how he could be here when
we left him in the prison at Harwich is more than I can
say."
O'Neil and O'Sullivan in turn looked through the window.
Not being so much accustomed as he was to Mike's figure and
walk, they could not recognize in the man, in the dress of
a country peasant, the well-set-up soldier who attended on
Desmond. Both admitted, however, that in point of figure it
might well be the man.
"H it is," Desmond said, " all our difficulties are at an end,
and I will wager that we shall be free in three or four days.
Now, how are we to communicate with him?"
"I have a piece of paper in my pocket. It is only an old bill,
and they threw it down contemptuously when they searched
me," O'Neil said. "I picked it up again. I hardly know
why, except perhaps that the idea occurred to me that some
day I might get a chance of paying it. But as we have no
ink, nor pen, nor charcoal, I don't see how it can benefit
us."
He drew the bill from the pocket of his coatee. Desmond
took it, and stood looking at it in silence for a minute. Then
an idea occurred to him.
"I have it!" he exclaimed presently. "O'Neil, see if you
can get a piece of this gold wire ori my facings. I want it


AN ESCAPE FROM NEWGATE
163
five or six inches long, so that when it is doubled up and
twisted together so as to be an inch long, it will be stiff enough
for our purpose."
Somewhat puzzled, O'Neil did as he was requested. Des-
mond straightened out the fine wire wrapped round the centre
thread, doubled, and again doubled it, and finally twisting
it together, reduced it to the length of about an inch and the,
thickness of a pin. The others looked on, wondering what
was his intention. He held the paper out before him, and be-
gan pricking small holes through it close together. He con-
tinued to work for some time, and then held it up to the light.
The others understood the nature of his work, and they could
now read:
Come ten to-night under window. Bring long thin string.
Whistle. We will lower thread. Tie end of string to it. Will
give further instruction.
KENNEDY.
He tore off the portion of the bill on which the message was
written, twisted off two of the buttons of his coatee, folded
them in the paper, and took his place at the window again.
The man who had been watching was standing some sixty feet
from the foot of the wall. His back was towards them. Pres-
ently he turned, carelessly looked up at the window, and then,
as if undecided what to do, took off his cap and scratched his
head.
"It is Mike sure enough," Desmond exclaimed. And
thrusting his hand through the bars, waved it for a moment.
Then taking the little packet, he dropped it. Mike put on
his hat again, turned round, then looked cautiously to see
that no one was noticing him, and strolled in an aimless and
leisurely way towards the wall. Desmond could no longer see
him, but felt sure that he would find the missive. Presently


104
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
he came in sight again, walking quietly away. He did not
look round; but when nearly at the bottom of the hill turned,
lifted one hand, and disappeared behind some houses.
"He can't read," Desmond said," but I have no doubt he
will get someone to do it for him."
A vigilant watch was kept up, but nothing was seen of Mike
till late in the afternoon, when he emerged into one of the
open spaces. They had now taken the handkerchief down from
the window, and directly they saw him Desmond waved it,
showing that they were watching him. He threw up his arm,
turned, and disappeared again.
"He has made out my message," Desmond said. "We
may expect him here at ten o'clock."
While he had been watching, his two comrades had, under
his instructions, been unraveling a portion of one of their
blankets. When enough thread had been obtained the strands
were tied together and doubled, and Desmond had little doubt
that it was sufficiently strong to draw up the string Mike
would bring with him. He now took another portion of the
bill, and pricked upon it the words:
At nine to-morrow night. Bring, if possible, fine steel saw,
two files, and a small bottle of oil. Fasten these to string we
will lower with further instructions.
He then opened his coatee, took out some of the white wool
with which it was padded, formed this into a loose ball in the
centre of which the note was fastened, and all being in
readiness, waited patiently until, just as the city clock struck
ten, they heard a low whistle. The ball had already been
attached to the end of the thread, and Desmond at once
lowered it down. Presently they heard another whistle, and
hauling at it again they found that the ball had gone, and
attached to the end of the thread was a very light silken cord.


AN ESCAPE FROM NEWGATE
165
which they drew in. There was another low whistle, and all
was silent.
"So far, so good," Desmond said. "We are fairly on our
way to liberty. How long do you suppose it will take us to
cut through these bars?"
"It would take us a long while to file through them all,"
O'Neil said, "but with a fine steel saw I should think that a
couple of nights' work should do it. But of course that is
mere guesswork, for I have not the least idea how fast even
the best saw could cut through iron."
"Well, there is no particular hurry, for we know that no
day has been fixed yet for our trial. So whether it is one
night or six, it does not matter much."
On the following evening at nine o'clock the whistle was
heard, and another ball lowered down at the end of the string.
The instructions this time were:
When we are all ready we will show a handkerchief at win-
dow. Bring with you at nine that evening rope strong
enough to bear us, and have disguises for the three ready for
us at foot of wall. Herewith are ten louis to purchase three
disguises.
The cord brought up a small packet which contained two
very fine small steel saws, two files, and the oil. They did not
lose a moment in setting to work, and, oiling the saws, one
began to cut through the central bar just above the point
where the lowest cross bars went through it, as they deter-
mined to leave these to fasten the rope to. There was not
room for two of them to work together, and they agreed to
take it by turns, changing every quarter of an hour. To
their great satisfaction they found that the saw did its work
much more quickly than they had expected, and by the time


166
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
each had a turn the bar was cut through; and by morning
the side bars had also all been cut. They did not attempt to
cut the main bar higher up, as, had they done so, it would have
been difficult to keep the portion cut out in its place. When
it was light they filled up all the cuts with bread, which they
had managed to secrete in the palms of their hands at dinner.
This they kneaded into a sort of putty, rolled it in the dust
of the floor until black, and then squeezed it into the inter-
stices.
"There is no fear of their noticing it," O'Neil said when
they had finished. "I cannot see the cuts myself from the
floor, though I know where they are, and unless they were to
climb up there and examine the place very closely they
would not see anything wrong."
"Shall we hang out the flag to-day, Kennedy?"
"I think we had better wait till to-morrow. He will be
hardly expecting to see it to-day, and may not be ready with
the rope and disguises."
The next morning the signal was hung out. They saw
nothing of Mike, but as he would be able to make out the
handkerchief from a considerable distance they had no doubt
whatever that he had observed it but thought it prudent not
to show himself near the prison again. As soon as it was
dark they recommenced work, and had cut through the main
bar and cautiously lowered the grating to the ground before
the clock struck nine. Then on hearing Mike's signal, they
lowered the cord, and soon brought up a rope which, although
small, was more than strong enough to support them.
"We had better tie some knots in it," Desmond said. " They
will help us to avoid sliding down too rapidly. If it was a
thick rope I think we could manage without them, but not
being sailors I do not think that we could grasp this tightly
enough."


AN ESCAPE FROM NEWGATE
167
"How close shall we put them, Kennedy."
"About two feet apart, then we can come down hand over
hand, helping our arms by twisting our legs round it. Now,"
he went on, when they had finished the knots, "who will go
down first?"
"You had better do so," O'Sullivan said. "You are the
lightest of us, and, I fancy, the strongest too."
"Very well. I don't think that it will make any difference,
for the rope is strong enough to hold the three of us together.
However, here goes. We may as well leave our coatees behind
us; they might get us into difficulties if we took them."
So saying, he took off his coat, fastened the end of the rope
securely to the bars that had been left for the purpose, and,
holding it firmly, made his way through the opening and
swung himself over. With his muscles strengthened by mili-
tary exercises and sword practice, he found it easier work than
he had expected. The depth was some sixty feet, and in a
couple of minutes his feet touched the ground. Mike had
been hanging on by the rope to steady it, and as Desmond
descended he seized him by the hand and shook it enthusias-
tically, murmuring brokenly, "My dear master, thank God
that you are free!"
"Thanks to you also, my dear fellow. Now, hold on again.
My friends O'Neil and O'Sullivan shared my cell with me,
and are following me."
He added his weight to that of Mike, and it was not long
before O'Neil came down; but not so quietly as Desmond had
done, for his strength had failed him, and the rope had slipped
rapidly through his fingers, and Mike and Desmond narrowly
escaped being knocked down by the suddenness with which
the descent was made. He stood for a minute wringing his
hand, and swearing in an undertone in English, Irish, and
French.


168 IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"By the powers," he said, "it has taken the skin off the
inside of my hands entirely! A red-hot poker could not have
done it more nately! Mike, you rascal, what are you laughing
at? I have a mind to break your bones before thanking
you."
O'Sullivan succeeded better, but was completely ex-
hausted when he joined his friends.
"Now, Mike, where are the disguises?"
"Here they are, your honour. They are just like my own.
Loose coats, rough breeches, white stockings, and buckled
shoes, and soft hats with wide brims. I thought that you
would pass better like that than in any other way, for if you
were dressed up as citizens your tongues might betray you,
for somehow they don't speak English as we do, and when-
ever I open my mouth they discover that I am an Irishman."
Desmond laughed. "There would be no difficulty about
that. Now, let us put on our disguises at once and be off.
Sometimes the turnkeys take it into their heads to look in
during the night, and we had to keep one on watch while
we were at work, and take to our beds when we heard a foot-
step approaching. I see you have brought shoes; I forgot
to mention them. Our jack-boots would have attracted atten-
tion, so we have left them behind us, after getting our stores
of money from their hiding-places."
They were soon dressed.
"What are we supposed to be, Mike?"
"You are sedan-chair men, sir. Most of the chairs are
carried by Irishmen, who seem to be stronger in the leg than
these London folk. You will have to cut your hair short, and
then you will pass without observation."
"Where are you taking us to?" Desmond asked, as they
descended the hill.
"I have got a lodging in a house out in the fields. I said


AN ESCAPE FROM NEWGATE
1G9
that I was an Irishman who had come to London in search of
employment, and that I expected three friends to join me,
and that we intended to hire chairs and carry the gentry
about, for here they seem too lazy to walk, and every one is
carried, though it is small blame to them, for dirtier streets I
never saw. They are just full of holes where you go in up to
the knee in mud and filth of all kinds. Faith there are parts
of Paris which we can't say much for, but the worst of them
are better than any here, except just the street they call
Cheapside, which goes on past St. Paul's, and along the
Strand to Westminster."
"What have you brought these sticks for, Mike?" for he
had handed to each a heavy bludgeon.
"Sure your honour, 'tis not safe to be in the streets after
nightfall. It is like that part of Paris where no dacent man
could walk without being assaulted by thieyes and cut-throats.
Dressed as we are, it is not likely anyone would interfere with
us in the hope of finding money on us, but they are not par-
ticular at all, at all, and a party of these rascals might try
to roll us in the mire just for fun. So it is as well to be pre-
pared."
However, they met with no interruption, passed out through
Holborn Bars, and soon arrived at the house where Mike had
taken a lodging. They were not sorry, however, that they
were armed, for several times they heard outbursts of drunken
shouting and the sound of frays. Mike had hired two rooms.
In one of these were three straw beds for the officers; he him-
self slept on a blanket on the floor of the other room, which
served as kitchen and sitting-room. Now for the first time
they were able to talk freely.
"Mike, we have not said much to you yet," Desmond began,
"but I and these gentlemen are fully conscious that you have
saved us from death, for we hear that Government is deter-


170
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
mined to push matters to the extremity, and to have all the
officers captured condemned to be hanged."
"Bad cess to them!" Mike exclaimed indignantly. "If I
had two or three of them it's mighty little they would talk of
execution after I and me stick had had a few minutes' con-
verse with them. As to the getting you out, I assure you,
your honour, there is little I have done except to carry out
your orders. When I first saw the prison and the little white
flag flying from the window, I said to myself that, barring
wings, there was no way of getting to you; and it was only
when I got your first letter that I saw it might be managed.
Faith, that letter bothered me entirely. I took it to the wo-
man down-stairs and asked her to read it for me, saying that
I had picked it up in the street and wondered what it was
about. She was no great scholar, but she made out that it
was writ in a foreign language, and seemed to her to be a
bit of an old bill., When I took it up to my room I looked at
it every way. I knew, of course, that it was a message some-
how, but devil a bit could I see where it came in.
"I fingered it for an hour, looking at it in every way, and
then I saw that there were some small holes pricked. Well, I
could not ask the woman what they meant, as I had told her I
picked it up; so I went across to an Irishman, whose acquaint-
ance I had made the day before, and who had recommended
me, if I wanted work, to hire one of these chairs and get a
comrade to help me carry it. I could see that he was a man
who had seen better days. I expect he had come over in the
time of the troubles, and had been forced to earn his living
as he could; so I went to him.
"' I have got a message,' I said, 'pricked on a piece of
paper. I picked it up, and am curious-like to know what it is
about.'
"So he held it up to the light and read out your message.


AN ESCAPE PROM NEWGATE
171
"' I think,' says he, 'it is some colleen who has made an
appointment with her lover. Maybe she has been shut up
by her father, and thought it the best way to send him a mes-
sage.'
"' That is it, no doubt,' says I;' and it is plain that it never
came to his hand.'
"The next day I went to him with the second letter.
"' It's lying you have been to me,' he said. 'It is some plot
you are concerned in.'
"' Well,' says I, 'you are not far wrong. I have some
friends who have suffered for the Stuarts, and who have been
laid by the leg, and it's myself who is trying to get them out
of the hands of their persecutors.'
"' In that case I am with you,' he said,' for I have suffered
for the cause myself; and if you want assistance you can
depend upon me.'
"' Thank you kindly,' says I. 'Just at present it is a one-
man job, but maybe, if I get them out, you will be able to
give us some advice as to how we had best manage.' So that
is how it stands, your honour."
"And now tell us how you got away, Mike; you may guess
how surprised we were when we first made you out, believing
that you were safe under lock and key at Harwich."
'The matter was easy enough," Mike said. "It took me
two or three days to get to understand the position of the place,
with water all round it except on one side; and it was plain
that if I were to start running it is little chance I should
have if I did not hit upon the right road. Luckily they were
mounting some cannon the day after you were taken away.
We were ordered to go out and lend a hand, so it was not
long before I learnt enough to know which road I ought to
take. I was always a good runner, your honour, and many
a prize have I carried off at fairs in the old country before


172
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
troubles began. So it seemed to me that if I could have
anything of a start I ought to be able to get off. There was
nearly half a mile betwixt the town and the place where the
narrow ground at whose end it stood widened out into the
country. If I could only hold my own as far as that, I could
take to the woods and lanes and save myself.
"A guard of soldiers with muskets and bayonets went out
with us, and at the end of the second day I managed to slip
off and hide behind a pile of cannon-balls. The rest assem-
bled at a spot about fifty yards away, to be counted before they
marched to prison again. As soon as the others had got there,
and the guards had gathered round, I went off as hard as I
could tear. And a good start I should have got if it hadn't
been that a sentry on a fort close by, fired his piece at me;
still I had a good hundred yards' start. The guards set to
to run after me, and when they got in sight of me fired their
guns; but they were flurried, and the bullets flew past without
one of them touching me. Then I felt pretty safe; if they
stopped to load their muskets I should get clean away; if,
as I expected, they would not stop for that, they would not
have a chance with me, carrying their muskets and cartridge-
boxes and belts. I had taken off my coatee and boots while I
was waiting for the start, and went up the hill like a deer.
I did not look round till I got to the top; then I found that I
had gained a hundred yards of them. I doubled down a
lane at once, and then struck through some orchards, and
ran without stopping maybe a couple of miles.
"I never heard any more of the soldiers, and knew that
for the present I was safe, though maybe they would send
some dragoons to scour the country when the news came in.
I went on at a jog-trot till it was quite dark; then I sat down
to think what I should do next. I had got my four louis with
me for they hadn't found them when they searched me. The


AN ESCAPE FROM NEWGATE
173
first thing was to get some duds, and I walked along till I saw
a light in a cottage, which I entered. There were two women
there. I told them at once that I wanted clothes, and was
ready to pay for them; but that if they would not give them
to me for money, I should take them without paying.
Though I could see that they doubted the payment, and re-
garded me as a robber, they brought out the clothes, which
belonged, one of the women said, to her husband. I took
what I wanted.
"' Now,' I said, 'how much shall I pay you for these?"
"They were still terribly frightened, and said that I was
welcome. However, I put one of my louis down on the table.
This was certainly more than the clothes ever cost, so I said:
"' Here is a gold piece, but I want a shilling in change
to buy food with.'
"At first they evidently hardly thought that I was in
earnest; then at last, when they found that I really intended
to give the money, they brightened up, and not only gave
me a shilling in change, but offered me some bread and
cheese, which I was glad enough to take. Then I put the
clothes on over my own, not wishing to lave anything behind
that would show searchers that it was I who had been there.
I told the woman that the coin was a French one, but that it
was worth about the same as an English guinea. I advised
them to put it away for the present, and not to try and
change it for a few weeks, as enquiries might be made as
to how they obtained it.
"I had no difficulty on my way up to London. I avoided
the main road till I got to Colchester, and after that walked
boldly on, having money to pay for victuals. When T got
to town I changed another of my louis at a money-changer's.
He asked me where I had got it, and when T said that it was
no business of his, but that it had been paid me by a French


174 IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
1
Huguenot gentleman who had lately arrived, and for whom
I had been doing some work, and as there are many of these
Huguenots in London, he was satisfied, and changed it for
me. I then fell across the Irish porter I told you of. He
told me whereabouts I could get lodgings, and advised me
to apply to one of the men who let out a number of sedan-
chairs, to hire one out to me by the week. Well, your
honour, once I had taken the lodging, I thought no more
of the chair, but went about the business for which I had
come to London. I had not been an hour in the town before
I made the acquaintance of half a dozen at least of my coun-
trymen, and found out which was the prison in which you
were kept. At first I thought of going there and giving
myself up on condition that I might be employed as your
servant. Then I thought, perhaps they would not keep their
word to me, but would send me back to Harwich; and then
the thought struck me that I might some way or other get
your honours out of prison.
"When I first saw the place it seemed to me that it was
impossible. The place was mighty strong, the windows all
barred, and I had no means of finding out where you were
lodged. I spent a whole day in prowling round and round the
jail, but sorra an idea came into my thick head though I bate
it wid my fists till it was sore, for, says I to myself, there is no
lock so strong but it can be picked if you do but know the
right way. It was the second day when I espied a little bit of
white stuff at one of the windows. It might be a signal or it
might not, and even if it was there was no reason why it
should be yours, except that, I said to myself, Mr. Kennedy is
not the boy to sit quietly in prison if he can see any possible
way of slipping out of it. His head is crammed full of ideas;
so I will walk near and investigate the matter. As I came
close I could make out that there was someone behind the


176
IN THE IKISH BRIGADE
would have been impossible to have communicated their plans
to them; but even if they could have done so they could see no
possible way in which the others could share in their escape.
Doubtless the doors of their cells were also strong and heavy,
and could all these difficulties have been overcome there would
have been passages, corridors, and staircases to traverse, with
the certainty of meeting with some of the night watchmen who
patrolled them, and they would finally have had to force the
door into their cell. They were therefore reluctantly obliged
to abandon the hope of liberating their friends, and decided
that, once away, they must endeavour to cross to France with-
out delay. The king would doubtless have been before now
informed by his agents in London of the determination of the
English Government to bring all the prisoners to execution,
but nevertheless it would be their duty to obtain an audience
and implore him to take steps to save them. They would,
therefore, on their arrival in Paris, at once see General Ham-
ilton and other officers of rank, and beg them to accom-
pany them to Versailles to act as spokesmen, and to influence
the king in their favour.
CHAPTER X
KIDNAPPING A MINISTER
J^N spite of the war between the countries communica-
tions were frequent. Smuggling boats brought over, with
their cargoes of wine and brandy, Huguenot fugitives, and by
the same means secret agents carried back news of events in
Paris, to the Government. Having decided upon making for
the coast without delay, Desmond and his friends next dis-
cussed the port to which they had best travel and which seemed
to offer the fairest opportunities. They agreed that Wey-


KIDNAPPING A MINISTER
177
mouth seemed to be most advantageous, as it was from there
that the communications with Brittany were chiefly main-
tained. At the same time it was evident that considerable
difficulty would be experienced in discovering the men en-
gaged in such traffic and in making an arrangement with
them, and it was all-important that no time should be lost,
for there was no saying when the trial might come on.
"If we could but get hold of Godolphin," Desmond said
next morning, "we might get an order from him to embark
in one of the boats that carry his agents."
The others laughed. "Yes; and if you could get hold of
Anne you might persuade her to sign an order for the release
of our comrades."
Desmond did not answer, but sat thinking for a few min-
utes. "It is not so impossible as you seem to imagine," he
said at last. "Doubtless, like everyone else, he goes in a se-
dan-chair to the meeting of the council, and returns in the
same manner. There are two ways in which we could man-
age the matter. Of course he has his own chair, with his
chair-men in livery. We might either make these men drunk
and assume their dress, or attack them suddenly on the way;
then we should of course gag and bind them, and carry him
here or to some other place that we might decide upon, and
force him to give us an order for the boatmen to take us across
the channel at once. Of course we should have horses in
readiness, and ride for the coast. We should have a twelve
hours' start, for it would be that time before our landlady
came in as usual with our breakfast, when Godolphin would,
of course, be released."
The two officers looked at each other astounded at the
audacity of the scheme that Desmond had quietly propounded.
O'Sullivan was the first to speak. "Are you really in earnest,
Kennedy?"
(M648) I"


KIDNAPPING A MINISTER
179
first thing to be done is to arrange for horses, or, better still,
for a light cart to carry the four of us. I should think that
Mike would, among his acquaintances, be able to hear of a
man with a couple of fast horses and such a cart as we re-
quire, who would agree to drive us to the coast, arranging a
change of horses on the way. He could offer ten louis, which
would be a sum that a man of that kind would be well satis-
fied with."
"I will see to that, your honour; I have no doubt that I
can find such a man without difficulty. When would you
want him?"
"To-night, certainly, with the arrangement that if we do
not come to the appointed spot we shall be there to-morrow
night. Recollect ten louis is all we can afford, but if he wants
any more he must have it.
"Well, we will leave that to you." Then he went on to the
others: " We had better go down to St. James's. Mike can go
out and buy us three shock-wigs, with which we can cover our
hair and look our parts better. We had better separate when
we get there, and watch the entrances to the palace, gazing
about like rustics; then we can get into a conversation with
any servant that we see, and try and find out from which door
members of the council usually issue, and about what hour.
We could succeed without that, because we should notice the
chairs waiting for them. Still, it is as well that we should
get all the information we can. There will be, doubtless,
personages leaving who have been with the Princess Anne;
they might go out by another entrance, and therefore we
should miss our man."
"You will have more than the two chair-men to deal with,
your honour, for there are sure to be two link-men with the
chair."
"Well, it will be as easy to dispose of four men as of two,
Mike."


180
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"Every bit, your honour, and the more of them the more
divarsion."
An hour later they set out, now so well disguised that no
one would have dreamt that the three Irishmen were officers
in a French regiment, and before noon Desmond succeeded
in obtaining from a scullion employed in the palace the partic-
ulars that he required. On saying that he had but just come
to London and wanted to get a sight of the great people, the
present of a shilling sufficed to extract the information from
the boy; and Desmond then rejoined his companions, and they
at once returned to their lodgings, where they found Mike
awaiting them.
"I have managed it, your honour, but it will cost twelve
louis. 1 went to the man from whom I got the saws, and he
said at once that the affair could be managed easily, and
sure enough he took me to the shop of a man who, he said,
sometimes acted with cracksmen. The fellow was sharp
enough to see at once that it was something special that we
wanted the horses for, but after some bargaining he agreed to
do it for twelve gold pieces, and, if necessary, to get a change
of horses twice on the road. He will be ready with his cart
at twelve o'clock a hundred yards or so outside the last houses
on the south side of the Old Kent Road. I could not tell him
which port you would go to, but he said from there he could
go to Dover, or turn off so as to make for Southampton or
Weymouth. It is to be twelve pounds if it is to Dover or
Southampton; fifteen pounds if it is to Weymouth."
"That is satisfactory," Desmond said. "Now we have
nothing else to do till ten o'clock to-night, when, as the boy
said the council generally ends, though we will be there an
hour earlier in case they should leave before. Now I think
we had better find out where Godolphin's house is, and fix
upon the best spot for the attack, and how we shall each sta-
tion ourselves."


KIDNAPPING A MINISTER
181
This part of the business offered no difficulties. They
found that the minister would probably be carried through
St. James's Park, and they fixed upon the spot where they
would await his coming.
Mike was to attack the first porter; O'Sullivan was to fol-
low close behind him and at the same moment fell the rear-
most man. O'Neil and Desmond, who were to conceal them-
selves among trees on opposite sides of the path, were to
spring out and strike down the link-bearers, and then enter
the chair and bind and gag the minister. Mike was sent out
to buy a pot of black paint with which to efface the gildings
of the chair, and to reduce its appearance to that ordinarily
used by the citizens. He was ordered to get a supply of rope
and some wood to make gags for the men they were to stun.
The others were to post themselves at the spot agreed on,
while Desmond was to remain at the entrance to the palace
by which ministers would issue, to note Lord Godolphin's
chair, and when he was fairly on his way to follow it for a
short distance to make sure that it was being taken through
the park, and then to run on and warn the others to be in
readiness.
On their return to their lodging they ate the dinner that
Mike had got in for them, and as they drank their wine, laughed
and joked over their enterprise, for now that they were fairly
embarked upon the scheme the two officers were as eager as
Desmond in the matter, and were much more excited over the
prospect than he was. Before nine o'clock they and Mike
were posted in the park, and Desmond was at the entrance
to the palace. Here seven or eight chairs with their bearers
and link-men were assembled. As most of the porters were
hired men Desmond readily entered into conversation with
them, and expressed his desire to see the great persons and
learn which were their chairs, so that he should know them as
they entered them.


182
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
In half an hour there was a stir, and a servant coming out,
shouted: "His Grace the Duke of Somerset's chair." This
was at once brought up to the door. Next came a call for
the chair of Mr. Henry Boyle, who was followed by Harcourt,
the attorney-general, then the chair of My Lord Godolphin
was summoned.
Desmond and three or four others who had gathered to see
the members of the council come out had been ordered off
by the sentries as soon as the first chair was called, but
remained near enough to hear the names. To his satisfaction
Godolphin's chair was carried off in the direction they had
anticipated, and he at once ran on and joined his componions.
Presently the lights carried by the two link-men were seen
approaching, and as the chair came abreast of him he shouted,
"Now!"
Almost simultaneously the four heavy cudgels alighted on
the heads of the four men, levelling them senseless to the
ground, and O'Neil and Desmond sprang to the chair and
wrenched the door open, while O'Sullivan and Mike bound
the four men and thrust the gags into their mouths. Lord
Godolphin had been thrown from his seat by the sudden
fall of his bearers, and was seized and bound before he was
conscious of what had happened. Then his captors assisted
the others in carrying the fallen men to some distance from
the path. A couple of minutes sufficed to cover the gliding
and armorial bearings upon the chair. The torches were still
burning on the ground. One of these was stamped out;
Desmond took the other. Mike and O'Sullivan went between
the poles and adjusted the leathern straps over their shoulders
and started.
Emerging from the park at Charing's Cross, past the old
church of St. Martin's in the Fields, and keeping round the
walls to Holborn Bars, they made their way to their lodging,
and Godolphin was carried into their room, which was on



LORD GODOLPHIN WAS SEIZED AND BOUND.





KIDNAPPING A MINISTER
183
the ground-floor. Mike and O'Neil then took the chair away
and left it in a narrow alley, where it was not likely to attract
attention until the morning. Not until they returned was
anything said to their prisoner. It had been agreed that
O'Neil, as the senior, was to be spokesman of the party.
"Lord Godolphin," he said, "I regret that circumstances
have obliged us to use force towards you, but our necessities
compel us to leave the country at once, and it has appeared to
us that in no way could we get away so expeditiously as with
the aid of your lordship. We will now set you free. I must
tell you beforehand that if you attempt to raise your voice
and give the alarm we shall be constrained to blow out your
brains."
Mike now released him from the bonds and removed the
gag from his mouth, but for a time the minister was incapable
of speech, being choked by anger at the treatment he had met
with.
"You will repent this outrage," he burst out at last.
"I think not, sir," O'Neil said quietly. "At any rate we
are quite ready to take our chance of that. In order that you
may feel at ease with us, I have no hesitation in telling you
who we are. We are the three French officers who, as no
doubt you have heard, yesterday escaped from Newgate, and
we are anxious to get out of the country as soon as possible.
It will be also a guarantee to you that we have no designs
on either your pockets or your person."
Angry as he still was, it was evident by the expression of
the treasurer's face that the information was a relief to him,
for indeed he had supposed that he had been carried off by
political enemies and was very uncertain as to what would
befall him.
"What is it that you require then?" he asked after a pause.
Merely this, sir; that you will give us an order upon an


184
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
agent through whom you communicate with France to take us
across the channel immediately."
"Well, gentlemen," Godolphin said more calmly, "I must
say your coolness surprises me. Your escape yesterday was
of course reported to us, and the manner in which you
obtained that rope by which you descended is a mystery that
the jail authorities are wholly unable to solve. If you obtain
the order you desire, will you give me your word of honour
that it shall be used in a manner in no way hostile to the
interests of this country, but solely, as you say, for the pur-
pose of conveying you across the channel?"
"That promise we give willingly. We must ask you to'
pledge your honour as a gentleman that the order you give us
will be a genuine one—a matter that we cannot ascertain
until we arrive at the address given. We are willing to play
fairly with you, sir, but if you do not do the same we shall
certainly return to London, though in some different guise,
and, if so, I warn you that no guards will save you from our
vengeance."
"You need not threaten, sir," Lord Godolphin said calmly.
"I will give you the order to the person to whom such com-
munications are addressed, and it shall be couched in the same
words as usual."
Desmond placed a sheet of paper, pen, and ink before him.
He, dating it from the Treasury, wrote:
To John Dawkins, Mariner, High Street, Rye. Urgent.
On the receipt of this you will at once convey the hearer
and three persons with him and land them in some convenient
spot in France.
He then added his signature. "Now, gentlemen, what
next," he said, looking up.
O'Neil looked at his companions, and then they spoke for a


KIDNAPPING A MINISTER
185
moment together. "We are about to start at once, my lord,"
he said, " and it was our intention to have left you bound and
gagged until the morning, when the woman of the house
would have assuredly found you and released you; but as you
have acceded to our request at once, we will, if you give us
your word of honour that you will raise no alarm and say
no word of this business until eight o'clock to-morrow morn-
ing, let you depart at once."
"Thank you for your courtesy, gentlemen, and for your
confidence in my honour. I am, indeed, anxious to return
home at once. If I do not do so, there will be a hue and cry
for me, and by the time I return in the morning all London
will know that I am missing. I naturally should not wish
this adventure to become a matter of common talk, in the first
place because the position in which you have placed me can
scarcely be called a pleasant one; and secondly, because the
success of your enterprise might lead others to make similar
attempts on my person or that of my colleagues. Even now,
I fear that my servants, when sufficiently recovered, will go to
my house and give the alarm."
"I do not think that that is likely to be the case, my lord,"
O'Neil said, " as we took the precaution of gagging and bind-
ing them, and laid them down some distance from the road-
side. If on your return home you find they have not arrived,
you have but to send a couple of your servants out to release
them. You can give them strict orders that no word is to be
said of the affair, and make them to understand you were
attacked in error, and that the ruffians who took part in the
outrage at once released you upon discovering your identity."
"Very good, sir," Godolphin said, with a grim smile. "I
must really compliment you all on your fertility of resource
and invention. And now, is there anything else that I can do
for youf"


186
IN THE IRlSH BRIGADE
"There is one small favour," Desmond said. "Your lord-
ship has doubtless twenty guineas in your possession. You
would greatly oblige us if you would give us them for so many
louis. These you will have no difficulty in exchanging,
whereas the exhibition of French money on our part might ex-
cite suspicion."
Lord Godolphin placed his hand in his pocket, drew out
a heavy purse, and, opening it, counted out twenty guineas.
O'Neil took these up and handed to him twenty louis pieces.
"One more question, gentlemen. What has become of my
sedan-chair?"
"It is in an alley hard by," O'Neil said, " and as we are our-
selves going in your direction we will carry it to your door."
"You are obliging indeed, sir. If it had been found, the
escutcheon on the panels would have shown that it was mine."
"I fear, my lord, that you will have to have it repainted, for
before starting with you we took the precaution to put black
paint over the gilding and panels; still, the lining and fit-
tings would show that it belonged to some person of wealth
and importance. As you have been so obliging to us we will
gladly escort you with it to your door."
"I shall be glad, indeed, of that, gentlemen, for I certainly
should not care about travelling alone through these lanes and
alleys, which have by no means a good reputation."
"We are ready to start at once, my lord," O'Neil said.
"We have a long journey to perform, and although there is
now no need for extraordinary speed we shall be glad to bo
off."
They were ready at once, having settled with their landlady
before starting out in the evening, telling her that they had
heard of a job and should start early in the morning. Mike
and Desmond fetched the empty chair, and they then started,
Godolphin walking with the other officers in front.


KIDNAPPING A MINISTEB
187
"This is the most surprising adventure that ever happened
to me," Lord Godolphin said; "and it is a pity that officers
who possess the wit to plan an escape from Newgate, and to
ensure a speedy flight from the country by carrying me off,
are not in the service of Her Majesty."
"We may yet be in the British service some day, my
lord," O'Sullivan laughed;" but I may tell you that my friend
and myself disclaim any credit in contriving the matter of
which you spoke, that being solely the work of our young com-
rade, who is at present the youngest ensign in our regiment."
"Then he must be a shrewd fellow, indeed," Godolphin said,
"likely to do service in any position to which he may at-
tain."
They walked sharply. Several times rough men came and
peered at them, but Godolphin was wrapped in a cloak, and
the appearance of those with him showed that hard knocks
rather than booty would be the result of interfering with
them. On reaching Lord Godolphin's house they placed the
sedan-chair on the steps.
"Good-night to you, gentlemen, and good fortune!" Lord
Godolphin said; " the lesson has not been lost, and I shall take
good care in future to have a strong escort."
They then crossed Westminster Bridge and made rapidly
for the spot where the cart was waiting for them. "You are
an hour after your time," the man said. "I had begun to
think that something had gone wrong with you." .
"That is not the case," O'Neil said; " but we have certainly
been detained longer than we anticipated."
"Where are we going to?"
"To Rye."
"That will suit me very well," the man said. "I have
rviends along that road, and shall have no trouble about
horses."


188
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
They started at once at a rattling pace, the animals, though
but sorry-looking creatures, being speedy and accustomed to
long journeys. It was evident from the man's manner that he
believed his passengers were cracksmen who had just suc-
cessfully carried out an enterprise of importance. He ex-
pressed surprise that they had brought no luggage with them.
They did not care to undeceive him. Mike had brought with
him a bottle of good brandy, and a drink of this soon removed
the vexation the man had felt at being kept waiting for them.
Twice during the journey they changed horses, each time at
small wayside inns, where some pass-word, given by the driver,
at once roused the landlord into activity. But a few minutes
were spent in the changes, and the fifty miles to Rye were ac-
complished in seven hours—a very unusual rate of speed along
the badly-kept roads of the period. When the car drew up in
the High Street of Rye, the four occupants were scarce able
to stand, so bruised and shaken were they by their rapid
passage over the rough road. They handed the twelve pounds
agreed upon to the driver, adding another as a token of their
satisfaction at the speed at which he had driven them, and then
enquired for the house of William Dawkins. It was close by
and upon knocking at the door it was opened by the man him-
self.
"I have a message to deliver to you in private," O'Neil said.
The man nodded, and led the way indoors, where the letter
was handed to him.
"That is all right," he said. "My craft is always ready to
set sail at an hour's notice, and if the wind holds fair I will
land you on the French coast before nightfall. I see that
your business is urgent, or you would not have put on dis-
guises before leaving London. I suppose you have brought
other clothes to land in?"
"We have not," O'Neil said. "We came away in such a


KIDNAPPING A MINISTER
189
hurry that we did not think of it until on the road, and then
we thought that we might procure them here."
"There will be no difficulty about that," the sailor said. "I
will go out and warn my men that we shall sail in half an
hour, and then I can get any garments that you desire; for
doubtless you do not wish to attract comment by the pur-
chase of clothes that would seem unfitted to your present
position?"
"That is so," 0'Sullivan said, " and we shall gladly embrace
your offer. We should like three suits such as are worn by
persons of fair position in France, and one proper for a serv-
ing man."
"I cannot get you quite French fashion, sir, but they do
not differ much from our own; and with a cloak each, I have
no doubt that you would pass without attracting attention—
that is of course, if you speak French well."
"As well as English," O'Neil said. "Here are seven
pounds in gold, which will, I should think, be sufficient; if
not, we are provided with French gold for use after landing
there."
"I have no doubt it will suffice, sir; if not, I will pay what
is the excess and you can settle with me afterwards."
In three-quarters of an hour after their arrival at Rye they
were dressed in their new disguises and on board the little
lugger, which at once started down the river, which was at
that time much more free from shoals and difficulties than it
is at present.
"Your boat seems fast," Desmond remarked, as, having
cleared the mouth of the river, she put out to sea.
"She is fast, sir; the fastest thing that sails out of Rye.
She needs be, for the gentlemen who come to me are always
in a hurry."
"I suppose you have no fear of English cruisers?"


190
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"Not at all. I have the order you brought with you, and
have only to show it to any English ship of war that overhauls
us, for them to let us go on at once. I am careful when I get
near the French coast, for although their big craft never ven-
ture out far, there are numbers of chasse-maree patrolling the
coast. However, even if caught by them it would be but a
temporary detention, for I am well known at Etaples, which is
always my port, unless specially directed to land my passen-
gers elsewhere."
The wind was fresh and favourable, and at six o'clock in the
afternoon they entered the little port. Some gendarmes came
down to the wharf.
"We need have no fear of them," William Dawkins said.
"Their lieutenant is paid handsomely for keeping his eyes
shut and asking no questions."
"So you are back again," the officer said. "Why, it is not
a week since you were here!"
"No, it is but six days since I sailed."
"And you have four passengers?"
"That's the number, sir. The Irish gentlemen are desirous
of entering the service of France."
The officer nodded. "Well, gentlemen, you will find plenty
of your countrymen in Paris; and, as everyone knows, there
are no better or braver soldiers in His Majesty's service."
The friends had already enquired from William Dawkins
whether there was any passage-money to pay, saying that they
had forgotten to ask before starting.
"Not at all. I am well paid by Government. My boat is
always retained at a price that suits me well, and I get so
much extra for every voyage I make. No, sir, thank you; I
will take nothing for myself; but if you like to give half a
guinea to the crew to drink success to you, I will not say no."
The party made no stay at Etaples, but at once ordered


192
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"I shall press the matter strongly upon him, and point out
the deep feeling that will be excited throughout his Irish
and Scotch troops if nothing is done to save the prisoners.
Louis is a politic monarch," he said, " and, knowing our worth
and that of his Scotch soldiers, I think that he will, on my
representations, bestir himself. Wauchop has many times
performed brilliant services and deserves well of France.
However, we shall see."
When they were admitted to the audience Lord Galmoy
introduced the three soldiers of O'Brien's regiment as coming
that morning to Paris, having effected their escape from New-
gate. As he repeated their names the king looked sharply at
Desmond.
"Ah, ah!" he said, " so our young ensign is in the thick of
adventures again. These we will hear presently. Well, my
lord, why have they come here so hurriedly after their ar-
rival?"
"They came to inform Your Majesty that the English
Government have determined to execute Colonel Francis
Wauchop and the twelve officers of their regiment who were
on board the Salisbury captured on the coast of Scotland."
Desmond, who was watching the king's face closely, saw
that this was no news to him, and that he was annoyed by its
being now brought to his notice, for doubtless the fate of a
colonel and a dozen young officers was a matter that affected
him little; and that, had the matter not been forced upon him,
he would not have troubled about it, but, when it was too
late, would have professed entire ignorance of the intentions
of the English Government. He only said, however, "It is
incredible that there can be an intention to execute officers in
our service captured upon a warlike expedition."
"It is but too true, sir. Against Colonel Wauchop they
have no ground for severity. By the convention of Limerick


ON THE FRONTIEB
193
lie and all other officers were formally permitted to enter Your
Majesty's service; but the young lieutenants have, of course,
joined long since that time and therefore cannot benefit by
the terms of the convention, and could with a show of justice
be executed as English subjects, traitors serving against their
country."
"We are afraid that our remonstrance would have but little
effect with the English Government."
Lord Galmoy smiled slightly, for it was notorious that
negotiations had gone on between King James and his coun-
cillors and several of the members of the English Ministry,
Marlborough himself being more than suspected of having
a secret understanding with the little court at St. Germain.
He only said, however, "Your Majesty has in your hands the
power of compelling the English Government to alter their
determination in this matter."
"How so, my lord?" the king asked in much surprise.
"You have, sire, many prisoners, Frenchmen of the re-
formed religion who had entered the service of the Protestant
princes—your enemies, and who were taken in Dutch and
Flemish towns we have captured; these stand in the same re-
lation towards Your Majesty as the Irish officers towards Eng-
land. You have, then, but to inform the government there
that if they in any way harm the Irish officers and non-com-
missioned officers in their hands you will at once execute a
similar number of these French Protestant officers, whom you
have hitherto treated as prisoners of war. Then possibly an
exchange might be effected. Your Majesty will, I think,
pardon me for saying that unless steps are taken to save
these officers' lives the matter is likely to have a very bad
effect on the Irish and Scotch regiments, whose ardour will
not be improved by the knowledge that in case of a reverse
they will, if not killed in the field, be executed as traitors,
(XMS) m


194
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
for nearly half of the men who are now serving have joined
fince the formation of the Brigade and are not protected by
the terms of the Limerick treaty. They are devoted to Your
Majesty's service, and are ready to lay down their lives freely
for the cause of France; but it would not be fair that they
should also run the risk of execution if they are by misfortune
made prisoners."
"There is much in what you say, Lord Galmoy, and
you certainly point out a way by which these officers can be
saved. A messenger shall start in an hour's time with a letter
to the English Government. It shall be delivered at their
headquarters in Flanders by noon to-morrow, with a request
that it shall be forwarded by special messenger to the British
minister; and we will have a proclamation posted in Paris
and in the various camps of the army saying that we have
warned the English Government that unless the officers and
men captured off the coast of Scotland are treated as prisoners
of war, we shall retaliate by treating all French officers taken
in foreign service in the same way, and that we have further-
more offered to exchange an equal number of such officers and
men in our hands for those held by the British Government."
"I thank Your Majesty most respectfully and heartily in
the name of all the foreign officers in your service. Even
should, unfortunately, the English Government refuse to
pardon or exchange their prisoners, it will be seen that Your
Majesty has done all in your power to save them, and there
will be a general feeling of reprobation throughout Europe at
the conduct of the English Ministry."
"We beg these officers to wait in the ante-room while we
dictate our despatch and proclamation to our secretary. We
would fain question them as to how they effected their
escape from their prison, and how they have made so speedy
a journey here."


ON THE FRONTIER
195
Lord Galmoy bowed and retired with the others.
"We have done well," he said, "better indeed than I had
hoped. Now, having succeeded in saving our countrymen's
lives, which I doubt not would have been otherwise sacrificed,
I shall return at once to Paris, for there is an inspection of
my regiment this afternoon."
"We have been fortunate indeed," O'Neil said, when
Lord Galmoy had left. "I have no doubt the king had heard
that the English Government had resolved to execute the
prisoners, but I question whether he would have stirred in the
matter had it not been for Galmoy's representation."
"I am sure by his manner that he had received the news
before," Desmond said," and, as you say, had not intended
to interfere. It was the suggestion that he might threaten
retaliation, and that the effect of his not moving in the matter
would be very bad among his Irish troops, that decided him
to interfere. He may have felt that any mere protest made
by him would have had little effect, and it is not his nature
to expose himself to a rebuff; but directly he saw that he
had an effective weapon in his hands he took the matter up as
warmly as we could wish."
In point of fact the king's threat had the desired effect, and
two months later the imprisoned officers and men were ex-
changed for an equal number of Huguenots.
In a quarter of an hour the three officers were again sum-
moned to the king's presence. With him was a tall dark
officer of distinguished mien whom O'Neil and O'Sullivan
both recognized as the Duke of Berwick, one of the most
famous generals of the time. He had been in command
of the French forces in Spain, from which he had been
recalled suddenly two days before in order that the king, who
had a great confidence in him, might consult him as to the
general plan of operations in that country and in the north


ON THE FRONTIER
197
was, I heard, an ensign in O'Brien's regiment; but certainly I
did not expect to find him so young a man. He has indeed a
fertility of invention that fills me with surprise. The other
officers deserve praise for having so willingly followed the
leadership of their junior, and their generosity in assigning
to him the whole merit of their undertaking is highly com-
mendable. It is no easy thing, Sire, to find in young officers—
especially, if I may say so, among the cadets of good family,
who form for the most part the staff of your generals—men
ready to exercise their own discretion when in difficulties, and
to carry out with due diligence the orders committed to them.
O'Brien's regiment has marched to the northern frontier; the
vacancies in the ranks of its officers have been filled up from
those of other regiments. I should, with Your Majesty's
permission, be glad to take these three officers on my own
staff, as, leaving Spain privately in accordance with Your
Majesty's orders, I have brought with me only Captain
Fromart, my secretary, and one young aide-de-camp. I
should be glad if you would promote Mr. Kennedy to the
rank of lieutenant."
"We quite approve of both requests," the king said gra-
ciously; " and indeed," he added with a smile, "shall not be al-
together sorry to see Lieutenant Kennedy employed outside
our kingdom, for, after making war on his own account with
one of our nobles, and kidnapping the first minister of Eng-
land, there is no saying what enterprise he might next under-
take. And should he join any of those who trouble the country
with their plots, we should feel compelled to double our guards
in order to hold ourself secure from his designs. Well, gentle-
men, since the Duke of Berwick has appointed you his aides-
de-camp, the least we can do is to see that you are properly
fitted out for the expedition. You have, of course, lost your
uniforms, horses, and money in our service, and it is but just


198
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
that we should see to your being refitted. If you will wait in
the ante-room you shall each receive an order on our treasury
for a hundred louis d'ors."
The three officers bowed deeply in acknowledgment to the
king, and, bowing also to the Duke of Berwick, returned to
the ante-room, where presently one of the royal attendants
brought to them the three orders on the treasury, and also
begged them, in the name of the Duke of Berwick, to wait
until his audience with the king should be over. They were
all highly delighted with the change in their position. The
posts of staff-officers were, as the duke had said, considered to
belong almost of right to members of noble families, and it
was seldom that officers of the line could aspire to them.
"Did I not tell you, Kennedy, that your luck would bring
good fortune to us all? And by the powers it has done sol
Faith, if anyone had said a month ago that I should by now
be on the Duke of Berwick's staff I should have laughed in his
face, if indeed I had not quarrelled with him for mocking at
me. And now here we are, with money to buy horses and out-
fit, and with no more drilling recruits and attending parades."
"But not an end to work, O'Sullivan," Desmond Kennedy
said. "You won't find much idle time when you are serving
with the duke."
"No. He has the name of being a strict commander, spar-
ing neither himself nor his soldiers; and I have heard that his
staff have a very hard time of it. However, I am not afraid of
hard work when it is done on horseback, and there are many
more chances of promotion on the staff than there are in
marching regiments. Well, I don't mind being taken prisoner
a dozen times if this is what comes of it, providing always that
you are taken with me, Kennedy, and are there to help me out
of the scrape."
"We should have to have Mike prisoner too," Desmond


ON THE FRONTIER
199
laughed, "for without his help we should be in Newgate at
present."
"I don't believe it. I am sure that even if he hadn't turned
up you would have managed somehow."
In a short time the duke came out. "I am likely to be
detained here another week before I start for Flanders. That
will give you time to procure your outfit of horses and equip-
ments and arms. You will require two horses each, and
these should be good ones. I doubt whether, if you get proper
outfits, the sum that His Majesty has given you will suffice to
buy two horses. I have, however, in my stables here, plenty
of good animals that have been taken from the enemy, and
one will be given to each of you. Therefore it will be only
necessary for you to purchase one. I am staying here, and
should be obliged, when you have taken a lodging, if you
would send me your address. I shall then let you know
where and when you are to join me. Is there anything else
that you would ask me?"
"I would ask, sir, that I might take my servant with me,"
Desmond said.
"Certainly; and you can do so without further question.
One man more or less will make no difference to O'Brien's
regiment, and it would be a pity that you should not have
him with you, for it is evident that he is at once faithful,
and possesses a large amount of shrewdness."
After thanking the duke for the present of the horses, the
three officers, having drawn their money, left the palace and
rode back to Paris. They went first to the barracks, and
returned the horses and uniforms, with many thanks, to the
officers who had lent them, had an interview with Lord
Galmoy, and informed him of their new appointments.
"You have well won them," he said, "and I wish you
every good fortune. Assuredly you are more likely to risa


200
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
under the Duke of Berwick than as subaltern in the Irish
Brigade, though promotion is not slow there owing to the
vacancies that battle always makes in their ranks."
They went out and took a lodging together, and then went
to a military tailor, who promised them their undress and full
dress suits in four days. Then they ordered military saddles,
bridles, and equipments. On the next day, after visiting half
the stables in Paris, they purchased three horses for them-
selves, and Desmond bought, in addition, a serviceable animal
for Mike, with a cavalry saddle and accoutrements, and
ordered a uniform for him. Each provided himself with a
sword and a brace of pistols. Mike was greatly pleased when
Desmond communicated his promotion and appointment to
him.
"You will look grand, your honour, as a general's aide-de-
camp with your handsome uniform and your horses and all
that, and 'tis glad I am that we are going to Flanders, for
from all I have heard from men who have fought in Spain,
little pleasure is to be had in campaigning there. The food
is vile, the roads are bad. You are choked with dust and
smothered with heat. As to their making you lieutenant, if
you had your dues it would be a colonel they should have
made you, or at any rate a major."
"There is plenty of time, Mike," Desmond laughed. "A
nice colonel I should look, too, leading a thousand men into
battle. If I obtain a majority in another fifteen years I shall
consider myself lucky."
Desmond did not share Mike's gratification that they were
to campaign with the army of the north instead of with that
in Spain. However, as he would be fighting against English
troops in either country, he concluded it would not make
much difference, especially as, being an aide-de-camp, he
would not himself have to enter into actual conflict with them.


ON THE FRONTIER
201
His friends were heartily glad that their destination was not
Spain, for all had, like Mike, heard much of the hardships
suffered by the troops in that country.
"I know from what you have said, Kennedy, that if you
had had your choice you would have taken Spain, but, put-
ting aside the heat there, it is but poor work by all accounts.
You are well nigh starved, you can't get at your enemy, who
knows all the mountains and the paths over them, is as diffi-
cult to catch as one of their fleas, harasses you while you are
on the march, and shirks fighting as the old one shirks holy
water. There has only been one fight which could be called
a battle since the war began; and as for the sieges, it means
that you lose a lot of men, and have little credit when you
take a place, especially as the moment you go out one way the
enemy enter on the other side, and there is all your work to be
done over again."
"I admit that we shall see a great deal more of war in the
north," Kennedy said, "and Marlborough and Eugene on the
other side, and the Dukes of Berwick and Vendome on ours,
are such skilful commanders that there will be far greater
interest in the operations, than in carrying on what is little
more than a partisan war in Spain."
"Not only that," O'Neil put in, "but there will be a possi-
bility of getting decent food. While in Spain there are few
great towns, and these a long distance from each other; in
Flanders there are towns every few miles, and you are sure of
decent quarters and good cooking."
"Why, O'Neil, I did not know that you were particular as
to your food," Desmond laughed.
"I can starve as well as another, Kennedy, but when I get
good food and good wine and good lodgings, I own that I
prefer it vastly to the fare that our troops have to put up
with in Spain. I can see no reason why, because you are


202
m THE IRISH BRIGADE
going to risk your life in battle, you should put up with
all sorts of miseries and inconveniences beforehand, if they
can be avoided. As to fighting against the English, there are
English both in Spain and Flanders, and in both armies they
form but a small proportion of the force, though I grant will-
ingly that they are the backbone of both armies. If you look
at the thing sensibly you will see that we have gained no
slight advantage by Berwick's going to Flanders instead of
returning to Spain."
Three days after their preparations were completed, an
orderly brought a note from the Duke of Berwick It was
brief and to the point.
The rendezvous is at six o'clock to-morrow morning in front
of the Louvre.
(Signed) BERWICK.
All were glad that the summons had come. They had dis-
cussed the future from every point of view, and were already
growing impatient, short as their stay had been in Paris.
Five minutes before the hour they were at the rendezvous.
As the clock struck the duke rode up with two officers and an
escort of six troopers. He looked at their accoutrements and
horses, and nodded his head approvingly.
"You will do very well," he said. "I can tell you that the
gloss of your uniforms will not last long in Flanders." The
other officers were Captain Fromart, who acted as the duke's
secretary and Lieutenant d'Eyncourt. Mike fell in with the
escort, behind which also rode the body-servant of the duke
and the two cavalry men who were the servants of his officers.
Once beyond the limits of the town, the party broke into a
trot. The duke rode on ahead, evidently in deep thought,
and the five officers followed in a group.


ON THE FRONTIER
203
"I see, messieurs," d'Eyncourt said, "that only one of you
has brought a servant with him."
"We only arrived in Paris a week ago," O'Neil said. "Our
own regiment had left, and we did not care to ask for two
soldiers from another regiment, as these might have turned
out badly. We thought it better therefore to delay until we
joined the army, and wait till we could obtain a couple of
good men from one of the cavalry regiments there. As it is,
Monsieur Kennedy's servant can look after the three of us,
and I have no doubt two of the soldiers of the escort will not
object to earn a few livres by looking after our horses on the
way."
"I think you are right," the other said. "If one gets a
good man, a soldier servant is invaluable. If, as is often the
case, he is a bad one, well, one is far better without him. It
is curious how men who have been smart soldiers when in the
ranks are apt to go to the bad when they become servants.
They have more time on their hands, are free from most of
the parades, have no sentry duty to perform, and the con-
sequence is that they become slovenly and careless, and in
nine cases out of ten give way to drink at every opportunity.
If Mr. Kennedy's servant is really a good one, you will be
better off with a third of his services than you would be with
the whole of that of an ordinary soldier servant. You have
just returned from England, have you not? The duke told
Captain Fromart that you were among those who were cap-
tured in the Salisbury, but that you had made your escape.
He gave no particulars, for indeed the duke is not given to
much speech. As a general he is splendid, but it would be
more pleasant for his staff if he were to unbend a little."
"Yes, we managed to give them the slip," O'Neil said,
"thanks to Monsieur Kennedy and his servant. Did you
return from Spain with the general, Captain Fromart!"


204
K THE IRISH BRIGADE
"Yes; there was nothing doing at the moment, and he gave
us the option of accompanying him or staying behind. We
vastly preferred the trip, as we considered it, for of course we
had no idea that the duke was about to be sent to Flanders.
You hear a good deal of the climate of Spain; it is said to be
lovely. I vow it is detestable. The heat, when it is hot,
is terrible, and when it is not hot, there is a bitter wind that
chills you to the bone. A great portion of the country is but
half populated, and you can go a day's march without coming
to a village. The roads are villainous. There is nothing to
buy, and it is as much as the transport can do to get, I will
not say enough bread, but a bare sufficiency to maintain the
troops. Moreover, the duke has been constantly thwarted in
his plans by the Spaniards, who are ready enough to make
promises, but never take a single step towards their fulfilment.
The duke's temper is of the shortest, and he has quarrelled
openly with most of the leading Spaniards, and has threatened
four or five times to throw up his command and return to
France. He did do so a year ago, but affairs went so badly
without him that the cause of France was seriously imperilled
by his absence, and it was at the urgent request of Philip that
he returned, for at that time the English general.Peterborough,
was striking dismay all over the country, and if the duke's
advice had not been taken all our officers acknowledge that we
should speedily have crossed the Pyrenees."
"And do the population incline towards Philip or the
Austrian?"
"As a rule they incline towards the party which seems
likely to win. They would shout in Madrid as loudly for the
Archduke Charles as for Philip. Catalonia and Valencia are
the exceptions. There the balance of feeling is certainly in
favour of the Austrian, but this is principally because they
are afraid of Peterborough, whom they regard as almost su-


ON THE FRONTEEB
205
pernatural, and fear he would take vengeance upon those who
deserted his cause. But there is no accounting for them;
cities have held out as stoutly for one candidate as for the
other without any apparent reason, so far as we can observe.
We fight for Philip because he is Louis's grandson, and it is
important in the interest of France to stand closely allied
with his party. But as for the Spaniards with us, I can tell
you that we have but little trust in them."
"But some of them are good, are they not?"
"We do not consider any of them of much account. But
then the Spaniards on the other side are no better; they seem
to have lost all their military virtues ever since their best
troops were demolished at Rocroi by Conde. That and the
destruction of their fleet by the English, and the drain of their
resources both in men and money, entailed by the long war
in Holland, altogether deprived the people of their martial
spirit. The war is to some extent between the English and
us, because, of the allies England, Holland, and Austria,
neither the Austrians nor the Dutch take any great share
in the struggle. The Dutch are wholly engrossed with the
defence of their fens, the Austrians are fully occupied in Italy
and on the Rhine frontier, and it is only the English, who,
fortunately, are not very numerous, who are against us, for
the Portuguese can scarcely be counted in the business, being,
if anything, slower and more stupid than the Spaniards
themselves. However, at present the prospect is good.
Peterborough has gone; Galway's army has been almost
destroyed; though, to do them justice the English regiments
fought magnificently, and if they had been seconded by the
Portuguese the result might have been altogether different."
"Then you found Spain much less rich than France?"
"There is no comparison," Captain Fromart said. "It
ought to be fully as rich, but the plains lie almost unculti-


206
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
vated. The people seem wholly without energy, and the rul-
ing class are always intriguing and seem to pay little atten-
tion to their estates. You see but few castles and chateaux
such as are dotted over France. I do not say that at the
present moment France can be considered a prosperous
country in material matters. The expenses of the wars have
been enormous, to say nothing of the Court. The people are
ground down by taxation, and the misery in some parts of the
country is extreme; but left to themselves the people will
work, and work hard. Our soil will grow anything, and after
twenty years of peace France would altogether recover her-
self."
"And yet the alliance of Spain is considered as of vital
importance to France i"
"Of great importance certainly. Spain has still soldiers
who can fight well, as they have proved in Italy; and were
the levies at home equally well drilled and disciplined they
would no doubt turn out good soldiers, but these are at pre-
sent almost undrilled; they desert in numbers and return to
their homes after the slightest reverse, and prefer to act as
partisans under leaders of their own choosing. But with Philip
once firmly seated on the throne, with French advisers and
officers to assist him, and a few regiments to serve as a nu-
cleus to his army, Spain could turn out a force which would
be a very valuable addition to the strength of any European
power. With Spain as our ally we can, in addition to the
force that she can put in the field, neglect altogether our
southern frontier and employ our whole army elsewhere. With
her as an ally of Austria or of England, we should have to
keep an army in the south to guard our borders."
Two days after leaving Paris the party arrived at Peronne,
where a considerable body of troops were collected, of which,
although an aide-de-camp, Desmond now learned for the first


ON THE FRONTIER
207
time the duke was to take the command. No movements
of importance had taken place in the field, and as the force at
Peronne still wanted several regiments to bring it up to the
intended strength, some weeks passed before it was set in
motion. The four aides-de-camp, however, had a busy time of
it. The main army was stationed in the neighbourhood of
Lille, and frequent communications passed between Berwick
and Vendome. The allies were inactive. Eugene had early
in April met Marlborough at the Hague, and had concerted
with him the plan for the campaign. He had then gone to
Vienna to bring up reinforcements, and until these arrived
Marlborough hardly felt in a position to take the offensive, as
the French armies were considerably stronger than his own,
and he had not yet been joined by the troops from Hanover.
Except to receive orders, the aides-de-camp saw little of their
commander. He was absorbed in the difficult problems of the
war, and was occasionally absent for two or three days at the
camp of Vendome. He always spoke kindly to them when
on duty, but at other times dispensed altogether with their
attendance, and as a rule took his meals alone.
"You see him at his worst/'d'Eyncourt said one day to his
new comrades; "he is a different man when he is in the field.
Then he is full of life and activity, looking into every detail
himself, endeavouring to infuse some of his own energy into
others, full of care for the comfort of his troops, though ready
to endure any harship himself. Then you see the real man;
a noble character, idolized by the soldiers and loved by us all.
You must not judge him in the slightest degree by what he
now is. He has a great deal on his mind, and has, so it is
whispered, no small trouble in keeping the peace between
Vendome and Bungundy. The failure, too, of the expedition
to Scotland must have greatly disappointed him, and I have
no doubt he expected to be put at the head of any French


208
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
army sent over to place James upon the throne. However,
he may congratulate himself now that he was not with it, for
no honour and no gain has been earned by any concerned in
it."
"That certainly is so," Desmond agreed; "it was a mis-
managed affair altogether. To begin with, twenty thousand
men should have been sent instead of six thousand; and in the
next place, the fleet should have assembled at Brest or Bor-
deaux, for in that case, although the news of its assembling
would assuredly have reached England, it would not have been
known whether it was intended that the landing should be
made in Ireland, Scotland, or on the English coast, while by
gathering at Dunkirk no doubt was left as to the destination.
This was proved by the fact that when the English fleet watch-
ing the port was driven off by a gale, and an opportunity was
thus given for a start, instead of coming back again, as we had
hoped, only to find that we had left, it sailed straight for the
north, making absolutely certain that we were bound for
Edinburgh."
"Well, we must hope," O'Sullivan said, " that next time the
force will, as you say, be fully twenty thousand men, will
include the Irish Brigade, will be led by Berwick, and will
land in Ireland."
At this moment an orderly entered.
"The duke requires your attendance, Lieutenant Kennedy."
Desmond at once went to the duke's apartments.
"You will start at once for Lille, Mr. Kennedy, and will
report yourself to Marshal Vendome. I have arranged with
him that one of my aides-de-camp shall accompany the force
that is about to advance, and shall keep me informed of what
is being done. I have selected you because I know you to be
active and shrewd. The marshal is too much occupied to
send me such full reports as I should wish, and I look to you


ON THE FRONTIER
209
not only to give me facts, but to convey to me your impres-
sions of what you see passing around you. Do not fear to
speak plainly. Your communications will be strictly private,
and your views will be thus of far more use to me than the
official expressions of the marshal and his staff. You will, of
course, take your servant with you, and I have told off three
troopers to accompany you for the purpose of bringing your
reports to me. There is no probability of a general engage-
ment at present, and until we obtain some idea of Marl-
borough's plans no extensive operations will be undertaken."
From the manner in which he spoke Desmond had no doubt
that Berwick himself was in favour of taking the initiative
without delay, but that he had been overruled. It was indeed
of importance to the French that before advancing they
should secure possession of the towns of west Flanders, so that
the great roads would all be open to them. Half an hour after
leaving the duke, Desmond was in the saddle, and, followed
by the four soldiers, rode for Vendome's camp. According to
instructions he halted for the night at Arras, and reached
Lille at ten, the next morning. He at once presented himself
to the marshal, and handed to him the letter from Berwick
of which he was the bearer.
The duke glanced through it. "I have been expecting you,
Lieutenant Kennedy, and have arranged that you shall mess
and ride with the junior officers of my staff. I will order
a tent to be erected for you at once. Should any portion
of my force move without me, I have arranged that you shall
accompany it. You will find many of your compatriots in
camp, for we have five battalions of the Irish Brigade with
us, among them that of O'Brien, to which the Duke of
Berwick informed me you belonged before you were appointed
to his staff, having distinguished yourself markedly on several
occasions."
(VMS) N


210
IN THE IEISH BRIGADE
The marechal-de-camp coming In, Vendome placed Des-
mond in his charge, requesting him to introduce him to the
various officers of his staff with whom he would have to mess,
and to see that he was well cared for. He was well received
by the young French officers, all of whom, with scarce an ex-
ception, belonged to good families, and Desmond was not
long in discovering that they regarded their occupation rather
as a pleasant and exciting diversion than as a matter of duty,
and that the greater portion of their time was devoted to
pleasure. They rode, practised with the pistol and rapier,
made excursions into the country, dined, and spent their even-
ings as if the army were non-existent. A few only, and these
were men who had served as officers, took their profession se-
riously, and divided among themselves what work had to be
done, the young nobles gladly relinquishing it to them.
CHAPTER Xn
OUDENARDE
ESMOND did not remain long at the marshal's camp, but
accompanied expeditions that were sent to Bruges,
Ghent, and Ypres. The inhabitants of these towns had for
some time been in communication with the marshal. They
were hostile to the English, and had a standing feud of many
years' duration with the Dutch. As soon therefore as the
French columns approached they opened their gates. The
weak garrisons that had been placed there, finding themselves
unable to at once control the population and defend the walls,
evacuated the town before the French arrived. Beyond writing
confidential reports to Berwick, Desmond had had little to do,
and spent most of his time with his own regiment, by whom


OUDENARDE
211
he was heartily welcomed, and with the other Irish battalions
encamped near them. He and the other officers captured in
the Salisbury had been given up as lost by their comrades, and
the appearance of Desmond in his staff uniform was the first
intimation they had received of his escape, of which he had
more than once to give a detailed account.
In doing this he made no mention of the seizure of Lord
Godolphin. He knew that the minister was anxious that this
should not get abroad, and as he had behaved fairly to them
Desmond considered that he ought to remain silent on the
subject, and merely said that on their arrival at Eye they
had made an arrangement with a man who was in the habit of
conveying persons secretly to or from France to take them
across the channel.
"You amaze me more and more, Kennedy," the colonel said.
"Six months ago, when you joined, you seemed to me little
more than a boy, and yet you have been through adventures
that demanded the brain and courage of a veteran. We missed
you all much; but I hope we shall soon get the others back
again, for I had news the other day from Paris that arrange-
ments for their exchange were going on, and no doubt they
will rejoin as soon as they land. There is little chance of you,
O'Neil and O'Sullivan, coming back to the regiment; but, at
any rate, as Berwick's force is sure to join ours as soon as
operations begin in earnest, we shall often see you."
It was the end of June before the main army advanced.
Desmond had returned to Peronne after the capture of the
three Flemish towns, and was warmly praised by Berwick for
the manner in which he had carried out the work entrusted to
him. On the 6th of July he received orders to accompany
the duke.
"There is bad news," Captain Fromart said, entering the
room where the four aides-de-camp were together. "You


212
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
know the marshal had commenced the seige of Oudenarde.
We have news now that the enemy has suddenly advanced
towards him, and he has been obliged to raise the seige and
fall back across the Scheldt. The troops are to go forward
at once. The duke will ride on with all speed in accordance
with Vendome's urgent request. All four of you are to go on
with him. I shall accompany the force here. There is no
time to be lost; the duke's horse is to be at the door in a
quarter of an hour, and it will not please him to be kept wait-
ing. You had better leave your spare horses for the present.
I have already warned the escort."
It was a short notice, but by the time named the four aides-
de-camp were in their saddles, as were their soldier servants,
for by this time Desmond's two friends had obtained servants
from a dragoon regiment. They were but just in time, for
they had scarcely mounted when the duke came out, sprang
into his saddle, and went off at a canter. The distance was
some fifty miles. They stopped once for two hours, to re-
fresh themselves and their horses, and rode into Vendome's
camp soon after nightfall. A large tent had been already
erected for Berwick's use close to that of the marshal, and
another close by for the use of the officers who might come
with him. A quarter of an hour later a soldier entered the
aides-de-camp tent with a large tray.
"The Duke of Berwick bids me say, gentlemen, that he is
supping with the marshal, who has sent these dishes to you
from his own table."
"Please to give our thanke to the Duke of Vendome for his
kindness," Desmond said; but when the soldier had left the
tent he went on, "I have no doubt that this is the result of
a suggestion on the part of Berwick, and greatly obliged to
him we must feel. We had just been saying that we sup-
posed we should get nothing to eat till to-morrow morning,





214
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
while here is a supper worthy of the marshal, and four flasks
of wine, which 1 doubt not are good."
It was ten o'clock before the duke returned to his tent,
when he at once sent for his aides-de-camp.
"There will be nothing more for you to do to-night, gentle-
men. Sleep soundly, for we shall have a hard day's work
to-morrow. We are to cross the Scheldt again at daybreak.
The enemy are on the other side of the Dender, and the next
day a pitched battle will probably be fought. You may be
surprised that we do not wait until my forces arrive, but we
have heard that Eugene's reinforcements are within two days'
march of Marlborough, and as they are more numerous than
those I command it has been decided to accept battle at once.
Good-night."
"The general is in a good temper," d'Eyncourt said
as they re-entered their tent. "I expect that his views have
been adopted, and that there was a warm discussion over
them."
This was indeed the case. The Duke of Burgundy, an ob-
stinate man without any knowledge of war, had been in favour
of pushing forward, crossing the Lys as well as the Scheldt,
and attacking the allies as soon as they met them. Vendome.
on the other hand was of opinion that the army which was
now collected near Ghent had better advance against Oude-
narde, which might be carried by a coup de main before Marl-
borough could come to its assistance, which he might be some
days in doing, seeing that he was in command of a mixed force,
composed of Dutch, Danes, Hanoverians, Prussians, and Brit-
ish. Burgundy then maintained that they should retire and
fight near Ypres, where they would be close to the frontier and
could retire upon Lille in case matters went against them.
Berwick, however, at last managed to persuade him to agree
to Vendome's plan, as the capture of Oudenarde was a matter


OUDENARDE
215
of the utmost importance, and it would be as easy to fall back
thence to Lille as it would be from Ypres.
This Burgundy had sullenly assented to, and the next morn-
ing the army marched to the position fixed upon. This was
on steeply rising ground, with the river Norken running at
its foot. Beyond this were two other eminences, on each of
which stood a windmill. That on the west was called the
windmill of Oycke, and that on the adjoining hill the windmill
of Royegham, the latter flanking the main position. Oude-
narde being found to be strongly garrisoned, it was decided,
in spite of the opposition of Burgundy, to cross the Scheldt at
Gavre, and then to give battle to the allies between that river
and the Dender. Marlborough had, however, been joined by
Prince Eugene, who had, like Berwick, hurried on in advance
of his army, and the two great generals decided, instead
of attacking the Trench by the road from Brussels, to sweep
round across the Scheldt at Oudenarde and by other bridges
across the river, and so to place themselves between Vendome
and France.
A portion of the French army was already in movement
when the news came that the allies were fast coming up.
Early the next morning their advance guard, composed of
twelve battalions of infantry and the whole of the cavalry,
reached the Scheldt, and having thrown bridges over the river,
crossed, and soon came in contact with the French advance
guard under Biron. There was some severe fighting, in which
neither party gained any great advantage, the French main-
taining possession of the village of Eynes. While this con-
flict was going on, Marlborough and Eugene, with the main
body, had reached the river, and were engaged in crossing it;
and Vendome determined to attack them while carrying out
the operation. He was, as usual, opposed by Burgundy, who
wished to continue the march to Ghent. Marshal Vendome


OUDENARDE
217
ground was broken by enclosures with deep wet ditches,
bridges, woods, and small villages, and the cavalry were
unable to act on such ground. The infantry on both sides
fought with extreme resolution, every hedge, ditch, bridge,
and house being defended to the last. Seldom indeed in
modern warfare has so obstinate and terrible a fight taken
place. Frequently the combatants were mingled together,
and fought with bayonets and the butt-ends of their muskets.
Gradually, however, the Dutch and the Hanoverian battalions
won their way forward, and drove the French back to the
village of Diepenbeck, where the latter successfully main-
tained themselves, Marlborough then ordered General Over-
kirk to move round and seize the hill at Oycke, which, al-
though it flanked the enemy's position, was not held by them.
This he did with twenty Dutch and Danish battalions, who
had only just crossed the river. He then pressed on and
seized the mill of Royegham, thus cutting the communication
between the French at Diepenbeck and the troops that still
remained on the plateau beyond the Norken. Eugene then
swung round his right, and, pressing forward, surrounded the
French on that side, so completely enveloping them that his
men and those of Overkirk each believed the other to be
French—for darkness had now fallen—and fought for some
time before the mistake was discovered. As in such a coun-
try it was impossible to move troops in regular formation in
the darkness, Marlborough gave orders for the troops to halt
in the positions they held. Had the light lasted two hours
longer the whole of the French army would have been slain
or captured; but under cover of darkness the greater portion
made their way through the intervals of the allied troops.
Many fled to Ghent, while thousands made for the French
frontier. Vendome lost in killed and wounded six thousand
men and nine thousand prisoners, and bis total loss exceeded


218
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
twenty thousand; while the allies lost five thousand, of whom
the great majority were Dutch, Danes, and Germans.
The French troops on the plateau withdrew under the
direction of Vendome in good order, and before morning a
large number of fugitives had rallied. Marlborough sent
forty squadrons of horse in pursuit of them, but the French
showed so firm an attitude that the cavalry were unable to se-
riously interfere with their retreat. Berwick had remained
during the day near the marshal, and had placed his aides-de-
camp at his disposal, for the difficulty of the ground, and the
distance from the plateau of the various points at which the
troops were engaged, rendered communication much slower
than it otherwise would have been, and Desmond and his com-
panions were frequently sent off with orders.
It was the first time Desmond had been under fire, and the
effect of the roar of musketry, the whizzing of bullets, and
the shouts of the combatants, gave him a much stronger feel-
ing of discomfort than he had expected. The roar of cannon
was not added to the other sounds, for the guns of the day
were clumsy and difficult to move; and, owing to the rapid
marches and countermarches of both armies, the greater
portion of the artillery had been left behind, and only a
few guns were on the field, and these, in so close and con-
fined a country, were of little use. Desmond felt now that he
would far rather be fighting in the thick of it with O'Brien's
regiment than making his way alone along the lanes, im-
peded constantly by columns advancing to the front, while he
was met by a stream of wounded men making their way to the
rear. At first all was exultation among the troops, for as the
Hanoverians and Dutch were forced to give way before the
assault of the main body of the French, shouts of victory rose,
and it was confidently believed that they would this day
avenge the two great victories Marlborough and Eugene had


OUDENARDE
219
gained over them. Having delivered his orders to the officer
in command, Desmond rode back. Vendome and Berwick
had both dismounted, and were standing together with a few
of their staff at the edge of the plateau examining the field
with their telescopes.
"I have delivered your message, sir," he said, riding up and
saluting. "The general bade me tell you all was going well,
the enemy were falling back and will soon be in full flight."
"Very well, Mr. Kennedy; by this time he will have found
out that he was a little too sanguine." The fire had indeed for
the past few minutes broken out with augmented fury, Marl-
borough had arrived at the threatened point and had placed
himself at the head of the Dutch and Hanoverians, and, ani-
mated by his presence, these had not only ceased to fall back,
but were in turn advancing.
"The battle is not won yet, Kennedy," O'Sullivan, who had
returned a few minutes before from the front, said, as he
joined him. "On our left we are being driven back, for a
large force has reinforced the enemy there, and unless our
main column defeats the allied left and pushes them into
Oudenarde, we shall have night coming on before we have
finished, and as our cavalry cannot act in these cramped fields,
Marlborough will be able to draw off without any great loss."
For an hour there was no change. Then Berwick, looking
round, beckoned to Desmond. "Mr. Kennedy," he said, "a
strong force of the enemy moved half an hour ago towards
their left. I have lost sight of them owing to the high hedges
and trees, but it does not seem to me that they can have
joined in the battle. Our troops are strongly posted at Die-
penbeck, and should be able to maintain themselves there
against the whole allied army, but the enemy cannot see our
dispositions, and would surely have pushed forward and made
a desperate assault on the village had they been joined by the


220
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
strong force I saw moving in that direction. It may be that
this force has been held in reserve in case our line should be
reinforced and again advance. Marlborough may be content
to hold his own on his left, while Prince Eugene, who, we have
heard, commands on their right, turns our flank on that side.
I wish you to ascertain, if possible, what this force is doing
and where it is posted. If you ride across to the mill on the
eminence behind Diepenbeck you may be able to get sight
of them; or, if the smoke renders it impossible to discover
matters from that point, ride on to the farther hill, and, de-
scending there on the enemy's left, you will be able to make
your way close enough to ascertain what is going on. You are
well mounted and need not greatly fear capture, for they
would hardly care to divert a party of cavalry in pursuit cf a
single officer. Still, it is as well not to push your horse too hard
on your way out, for you may possibly need all his strength."
A minute later, Desmond was cantering his horse down the
declivity to the Norken. Crossing by the bridge near Mullen
he turned to the right and rode up the hill of Koyegham.
Here a strong brigade, composed of cavalry and infantry, un-
der General Grimaldi, was stationed. Desmond rode up to him.
"The Duke of Berwick has sent me to ascertain, sir, the
position of a strong body of the enemy's troops whom he ob-
served marching from the river towards our right. May I
ask if you have noticed them?"
"We saw them move away after crossing the river, but
have not seen them since. I should fancy they are engaged in
front of Diepenbeck, but the ground is so undulating and the
view so obscured by smoke that we have not caught sight of
them since they issued from Ouedenarde—indeed the hill be-
hind Diepenbeck prevents our seeing down into the low
land beyond."
"I will ride on there, sir," Desmond said. "Certainly a


222
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
fire that Grimaldi was engaged. The sun had already set, but
Berwick was able to make out with his glass that the left was
giving way before the attack of Eugene, and that the twenty
battalions under Argyle, which had hitherto remained inac-
tive, were advancing by the main road leading through Mul-
len to the plateau on which they stood.
"The day is lost," Berwick said bitterly. "The troops at
Diepenbeck are completely cut off. Darkness alone can save
them from annihilation. And to think that if it had not been
for Burgundy we could have maintained ourselves here against
double the force of the allies! So long as the system of giving
the command of armies to royal incapables continues we can-
not hope for success."
Vendome lost no time in issuing orders. The troops still
on the plateau were brought forward whence their fire would
command its approaches; aides-de-camp were sent in all di-
rections to order the generals of divisions to draw off at once
and to make their way up to the plateau, and Berwick's four
aides-de-camp were told to make their way, if possible, by dif-
ferent routes to Diepenbeck and to give orders for the troops
there to maintain themselves at all costs until darkness had
completely fallen, and then to make their way as best they
could to the plateau; if that was impossible, to march for
either Ghent or Lille.
"The service is a desperate one, gentlemen," Berwick said,
as he turned to give the orders to his officers, "but it is
necessary, for if the force remain there until morning they
are all irretrievably lost. It is getting dark already, and you
may therefore hope to pass unnoticed between the intervals
of the enemy. If you get there safely do not try to return
at once, but, like the rest, endeavour to make off during the
night."
Without waiting for orders Mike followed his master.


OUDENARDE
223
Going down they met the remnants of Biron'a division fly-
ing in disorder; they separated at the bridge of Mullen, and
with a word of adieu to his comrades Desmond turned to the
right, and rode for Groenvelde. Suddenly a volley of mus-
ketry was fired from the hill to the right. Desmond stag-
gered for a moment in the saddle, and the bridle fell from his
left hand. Mike was by his side in a moment.
"Where are you hurt, master?"
"In the left wrist, I fancy. By the way the hand hangs
down it must have smashed both bones. However, there is
no time to wait now; it is a matter of life and death to get to
Diepenbeck."
"One moment, your honour. Let me put your hand into
the breast of your coatee; then if you keep your elbow tight
against your body it will keep it steady."
Although Mike carried out his suggestion as gently as he
could, Desmond almost fainted with pain.
"Take a drop of brandy from your flask, master; it won't
take half a minute, and then we will be off."
They continued their journey. The rattle of musketry
ahead of them showed that the combat had already com-
menced close by between either the advancing troops of Ar-
gyle or those who had crossed the hill of Royegham and Grim-
aldi's brigade, which was probably endeavouring to hold them
in check until the troops at Diepenbeck came back. It was
already too dark to distinguish the uniforms except at a dis-
tance of a few yards. Dashing on he saw a dark mass ahead
—three officers rode out.
"Who are you, sir?" they shouted.
"I am carrying a report from the general," he replied in
English, and without drawing rein dashed on, passing within
twenty yards of the column, and reached Diepenbeck without
further interruption. In the centre of the village the French


224
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
general was sitting on his horse surrounded by his staff. The
combat beyond raged as furiously as before. Desmond rode
up and saluted.
"I am the bearer of orders from Marshal Vendome, sir," he
said; "he bid me tell you that a large force of the enemy has
crossed the hills of Oycke and Royegham, and is already in
your rear, the enemy's right overlapping your left, while the
whole British reserve is pressing forward, and will ere long
effect a junction with both these forces. Your retreat, there-
fore, is entirely cut off. The orders are that you shall main-
tain yourself here as long as possible, as in the darkness and
confusion it is unlikely that the allies can attack you from the
rear before morning. The marshal himself holds the plateau,
and will continue to do so. You are to make your way to-
night, if possible, in battalions and in good order, through the
intervals between the various divisions of the enemy; or, if
that is not possible, singly. All are to endeavour to join him
on the plateau; those who cannot do this are to make for
Ghent or Lille."
"Your order scarcely comes as a surprise, sir," the general
said bitterly; "we have heard firing in our rear for some time,
and we were afraid that things had gone badly with us after
all." He at once gave orders that the troops behind the vil-
lage were to take up a position to resist any attack made in
that direction.
Desmond dismounted, as did Mike, and the latter took
the two horses, fastened them to a tree, and then, with Des-
mond's scarf, bound his arm firmly against his side.
"We have made a mess of it entirely, your honour," he
said, "and have got a terrible bating. Sure we were lucky
in getting here. Faith I thought we were caught when you
were hailed."
"It was a narrow escape, Mike; and if they had waited till



THE BRIDLE VKl.L FRO.M HIS LEKT HAM).





OUDENARDE
225
I had got a little nearer and had seen ray uniform, I must
have surrendered."
"It seems to me that we are like rats in a trap, Mr. Ken-
nedy."
"Something like it, Mike; but it is hard if we can't get
through them in the dark."
"That we will do, sure enough," Mike said confidently;
"but which way should we go?"
"That I can't tell you. You see, they are in strength in
front, Marlborough and Eugene are on the left and partly
behind us, and the troops you saw come across the hills are
somewhere in the rear. If it were daylight not a man of us
would escape, but as it is it will be hard if we cannot make
our way through. What I am thinking about chiefly at
present is the safety of O'Sullivan, O'Neil, and d'Eyncourt;
they ought to have been here as soon as we were. They
may either have lost their way in the darkness, or fallen into
the hands of the enemy. However, I shall not give them up
for another half-hour."
The firing was now abating, and presently died away com-
pletely except for a few scattered shots, showing that the
allies had been halted where they stood, and were no longer
pressing forward; Another hour passed, and Desmond's
comrades were still absent. In the meantime the general had
called together the colonels of the several regiments, had ex-
plained the situation to them, and repeated Vendome's orders.
The news came like a thunderbolt upon them, for the din of
firing round the village had completely deadened all distant
sound, and they were wholly unaware of what was passing in
other parts of the field.
"I must leave the matter to your individual discretion,"
the general said; "those of you who think your men can be
relied on, can try to escape and join the marshal in a body,
(M648) o


226
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
those who have not that confidence in their regiments—and
indeed some of these have been almost annihilated—had best
tell them to scatter; those who remain here will assuredly be
made prisoners in the morning. It is possible that that may
be the better plan, for it is better to surrender than to be cut
to pieces. I therefore leave the matter entirely in your hands.
I myself shall remain here. We have done all that men can
do in the way of fighting, and as I was told to hold this place
till the last I shall remain at my post."
Desmond was present when this conversation took place.
"We will wait another hour, Mike," he said, as he rejoined
his follower; "we may be sure that the greater part of the
enemy's troops will be asleep by that time. They must have
made a tremendous march, for the news last night was that
they were twenty miles away; and they have been fighting
twelve hours. After such work as that the men will drop
down to sleep as soon as they have halted."
"Shall we go on horse or on foot, your honour?"
"I think the best plan will be to lead our horses, Mike,
across this country; it would seem natural to do so, and once
through them we could gallop round and join the troops
on the plateau."
"I should say, sir, that if I were to steal out to where they
have been fighting for the last six hours, I might get a couple
of uniforms to put over our own; they will be lying thick
enough there, poor chaps. If we had them on we might
pass through any troops we might meet, as we both speak
English."
"That is a good idea, Mike, if you can carry it out."
"Sure I can do that and without difficulty, your honour.
I expect the enemy have drawn back a little, so as to be in
some sort of order if we were to fall upon them in the night,
and I know that all our men have been recalled. I will fas-


OUDENAKDE
227
ten the horses to this tree, and perhaps your honour will keep
an eye on them."
"I will stay with them, Mike."
The soldier at once made off. The village was now crowded
with troops, all order was at an end, and the regiments were
considerably mixed up. The officers went among them saying
that an attempt was going to be made to pass through the
enemy and join the force on the plateau. They pointed out
that there was at least as much hope in being able to do so
as in making off singly. Many of the soldiers, not having
themselves suffered defeat, responded to the call, and several
bodies, four or five hundred strong, marched out into the
darkness. The majority, however, decided to shift for them-
selves, and stole away in threes and fours. Of those that
remained some broke into the village wine and beer shops and
drank to stupefaction, while others, exhausted by the efforts
of the day, threw themselves down and slept. Mike was
away half an hour.
"I have got an officer's cloak for you and a helmet with
feathers. I think he must have been a staff-officer who was
killed while delivering his orders. I have got a soldier's over-
coat and shako for myself."
"Capital, Mike! Now I think that we can venture, and we
will go the shortest way. We might very well lose ourselves
among these hills if we were to try and make the circuit."
Having put the Dutch uniforms over their own, they set
out, taking the way to the left until they came to the main
road by which the British reserve had advanced, then they
mounted their horses.
"It is no use trying to make our way through the broken
ground, Mike. There is another road that goes through
Huerne; we will strike that, and must so get round on the
right of the enemy. Even if we come upon them we are not


228
IN THE IKISH BRIGADE
likely to excite suspicion, as we shall be on a road leading
from Oudenarde. I was noticing that road from the height.
It runs into this again near Mullen, and the enemy are not
likely to have posted themselves so near the river."
They rode on through Huerne. The village was full of
wounded. No one paid them any attention, and they again
went on until suddenly they were challenged with the usual
"Tho comes there?"
"A staff-officer with despatches," Desmond replied. He
heard the butt of the soldier's musket drop on the ground,
and rode forward.
"Can you tell me, my man," he said as he reached the
gentinel, "where the Duke of Marlborough is to be found?"
"I don't know, sir," the man replied; "only our regiment
is here. I know there are a number of cavalry away there
on the left, and I heard someone say that the duke himself
was there. There is a cross-road a hundred yards farther on,
which will lead you to them."
Thanking the man, Desmond rode on. A few bivouac
fires had been lighted, and these were already beginning to
burn low, the troops having dropped asleep almost as soon as
they halted.
"I hope we shall meet no more of them, Mike," Desmond
said, as they went on at a brisk trot. "I shan't feel quite
safe till we get to Mullen."
They met, however, with no further interruption. As they
crossed the bridge they halted, took off the borrowed uniforms,
threw away the head gear and put on their own hats, which
they carried under their cloaks, and then rode on up the hill
after having first satisfied the officer commanding a strong
guard placed at the bridge that they were friends. Another
ten minutes and they were on the plateau. Desmond had
no difficulty in finding out where the head-quarters were es-


OUDENARDE 229
i
tablished at Hayse, and, riding there, he at once went into the
house occupied by Berwick and reported hie return.
"I am glad to see you back again, Kennedy," the duke said
heartily; "it is something to have recovered one friend from
the wreck. Now, what is your news?"
Desmond related what had happened to him from the time
he left, and said that a large proportion of the troops at Die-
penbeck had already left, and, as he heard no outburst of
firing, he hoped most of them had got safely away.
"I see you are wounded."
"I have had my wrist smashed with a musket-ball fired by
a party on a hill to the right, belonging, I suppose, to the force
that came up from Oycke."
"You had a narrow escape of your life," Berwick said;
"if you had been hit a little farther back the ball would have
gone through your body. Sit down at once. I will send for
my surgeon." And he instantly gave orders for the surgeon
of the staff to come to his tent, and then made Desmond, who
was suffering terribly from the agony of the wound, drink a
tumbler of wine.
"I know you are all busy, doctor," the duke said as the
surgeon entered, "but you must do something for Mr. Ken-
nedy, who is badly wounded in the arm."
The surgeon examined the wound and shook his head.
"Both bones are fractured," he said, "and I am afraid that
there is nothing for it but amputation."
"Then leave it till to-morrow, doctor," Desmond said
faintly; "there must be a number of poor fellows who want
your attention much more than I do."
"That would do if I could make you a cradle, but we are
badly off for surgical appliances."
"Could you cut one out of my jack-boots?"
"A capital idea, Mr. Kennedy; nothing could be better.


232
m THE IRISH BRIGADE
men, was within a couple of days' march of it. His disposi-
tions were made with extreme care, and a tremendous convoy
of heavy artillery, ammunition, and provisions was brought
up from Ostend without the French being able to interfere
with its progress. Marlborough, with his British contingent
and the Hanoverians, was to cover the operations of the siege,
which was to be undertaken by Prince Eugene with the rest
of the allied army. Vendome marched at once with his army,
and making a circuit, placed himself between Lille and Paris,
deserting his recent conquests in Ypres, Ghent, and Bruges,
all of which fell into the hands of the allies.
CHAPTER XTTT
CONVALESCENT
ESMOND was not present with the French army for
many hours after their arrival at Ghent. He suffered in-
tense pain on the ride thither, and was then taken to a hospital
that had been hastily formed for the reception of wounded offi-
cers. Here the surgeons had agreed that there was nothing
for it but to amputate the arm half-way between the wrist
and the elbow. The limb was already greatly swollen.
"Under ordinary circumstances," the surgeon said, "we
should wait until we had reduced the inflammation, but this
might be a matter of a week or ten days, and there is no time
to spare, as the army will probably march away in a few days,
and travel would increase the inflammation to such an extent
that your life might be sacrificed."
"I would rather have it taken off at once, doctor," Des-
mond said. "The operation cannot hurt very much more than
tlie arm is hurting already, and the sooner it is over the better."
Surgery was in its infancy at that time; anaesthetics were


CONVALESCENT
233
undreamt of; but the surgeons of the French army nad large
experience, and the operation was very skilfully performed
for the time. The stump was then seared with a hot iron.
"You have stood it well," the surgeon said, for, except
when the iron was applied to the wound, no groan had issued
from Desmond's lips. "Now, your servant must keep these
dresings continually soaked with water, and in a few days
we may hope that you will be able to travel in a waggon
without danger."
When the army marched away a week later, Desmond was
placed in a waggon half-filled with hay, with several other
wounded officers. At Arras, where there was a large military
hospital, he was kept for a few days, and then sent on to
Amiens, only the most severe cases being retained at Arras,
as another engagement might take place at any moment, and
the resurces of the town would be taxed to the utmost. He
gained strength very slowly, and it was six weeks before the
surgeons pronounced him to be sufficiently convalescent to be
moved. "It would," they said, "be probably some months
before he would be fit to return to active service." He was
sitting looking listlessly out of the window of the chamber
that he and three other officers occupied, when Mike came in
followed, to Desmond's intense surprise, by Monsieur de la
Vallee.
"My dear Desmond," the latter exclaimed, hurrying for-
ward and grasping his hand, "you must have thought that we
had all forgotten you."
"Indeed I never thought anything of the kind, Philip. I
did not suppose that you had ever heard of me since we parted
at Moulins."
"News travels but slowly, but we did hear that fifteen
subalterns of O'Brien's regiment were captured in the Salis-
bury. I wrote to a friend in Paris, and he told me that you


234
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
were among the number, but that, on making enquiries, he
found you had, in some manner or other, effected your
escape, and that you and the two other officers had had an
audience with the king, and had then gone to the northern
frontier on the staff of the Duke of Berwick. I wrote begging
him to get, if possible, a sight of the despatches, and if your
name appeared, to let us know. Ten days ago I received a
letter from him to say that you had been wounded at Oude-
narde. The Duke of Berwick had, in his private despatch to
the king, mentioned your name with very high praise, saying
that it was due to you alone that so many of the troops
hemmed in at some village or other—I forget its name—
managed to make their escape during the night, for although
he sent off four aides-de-camp with orders, you alone managed
to get through the enemy, though wounded by a bullet which
had caused you the loss of your hand. He said he had written
to the chief surgeon on Berwick's staff, who was a personal
friend of his, to ascertain, if possible, where you were. Of
course I set out as soon as I received his letter."
"What! have you ridden all the way from the south of
France to come to me, Philip?" t1
"Of course I have, and should have ridden all across Eu-
rope if it had been necessary. I went round by Pointdexter.
The baron is laid up with an attack of gout, or he would
have accompanied me. He sent all sorts of messages, and so did
Anne, and the latter informed me that I need not show my
face at the chateau again until I came accompanied by you.
When I reached Paris my friend had learned from the sur-
geon that you were at Amiens, and so here I am. I met your
faithful Mike at the gate of the hospital. I was glad, indeed,
to see that he had come out unharmed from that terrible
fight. When I told him I had come to take you away he
almost cried with joy."


CONVALESCENT
235
"It will be the saving of him," he said. "He has been
going down the hill for the last fortnight, and it is change and
good nursing he wants."
"He will get good nursing, I warrant," I said, "and the
soft air of the south will soon set him up."
"It is wonderfully kind of you, Philip; but I am sure I am
not strong enough to ride."
"No one is thinking of your riding at present, Desmond.
I have brought down a horse-litter with me, and four of my
men, with the quietest horses on the estate, and all you have
to do is to lie down in it, and talk with me whenever you
are disposed. You have a whole batch of adventures to tell
me."
"I feel better already, Philip. I own that I have been
downhearted of late, for it seemed to me that I should be an
invalid for months, and be living in Paris without a friend
except Mike, for all the regiments of the Brigade are either
with Vendome or in Spain. The sight of your face and the
thought of your kindness so cheers me that I feel capable of
anything."
"Well, we will start to-morrow morning, Desmond. I shall
go at once and see the director of the hospital and get an
order for your discharge."
The next morning they set out. Desmond had to be as-
sisted downstairs. There he was laid on a litter packed with
soft rugs. This was raised and placed between two horses,
ridden by two of de la Vallee's men. De la Vallee himself
took his place by the side of the litter, Mike rode on ahead
leading Desmond's charger, and the other two servants fell
to the rear in readiness to change with those bearing the litter
when half the day's journey was done. Seeing that the exer-
tion of being moved had exhausted his friend, de la Vallee
rode for some time in silence. Then, when Desmond opened


236
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
his eyes and smiled at him, he said, "I hope you are feeling
comfortable?"
"Perfectly; I hardly feel any motion."
Every care had been taken to prevent jolting. The poles
of the litter were unusually long, thus adding to their elas-
ticity. The ends passed through leathern loops suspended
from the saddle, and were at this point covered with a thick
wrapping of flannel bandages, which aided in minimizing the
effect of any jar. The first day's journey was performed at a
walking pace, and they reached Beauvais, twenty-five miles
being accomplished. The fresh air and the slight easy motion
were beneficial, and in the afternoon Desmond was able to
talk cheerfully with his friend. There was, however, no con-
tinued conversation, Philip saying he would ask no questions
about Desmond's doings until he was stronger. His story had
better be told while sitting quietly in a room, where it would
not be necessary, as it was on the road, for the voice to be
raised. In the evening, however, after partaking of supper,
Desmond, without being asked, related the incidents, so far as
he knew them, of the battle of Oudenarde, and of the manner
in which he received his wound.
"The whole disaster was due entirely to the Duke of Bur-
gundy, or rather to the king, who placed him in command
over two generals of the highest skill and reputation. If he
wanted to accompany the army, Burgundy should have done
so just as our King James did, merely as a volunteer. I am
told that the king showed great courage in the battle. For
my part, I think his presence was altogether a mistake. He
claims that the English are his subjects, and yet he takes part
with a foreign army in battle against them. His being pre-
sent will certainly not add to his popularity in England."
"I agree with you," de la Vallee said. "It would have been
much wiser for him to have abstained altogether from inter-


CONVALESCENT
237
ference in the matter. It was, of course, a different thing
when he attempted to land in Scotland. Then he would have
been leading the loyal portion of his subjects against those
whom he considers rebels against his authority. That was
quite a different thing from acting without cause or reason as
a volunteer in the French army against those whom he re-
gards as his countrymen and subjects. I am afraid, Des-
mond, that though it may shock you to think so, these Stuart
princes of yours are not wise men. Legitimate monarchs of
England though they may be, they do not possess the qualities
that endear kings to their people. From what I have heard,
James was a heavy pedant, a rank coward, essentially not a
man to be popular among a spirited people. Charles had a
noble presence and many fine qualities. But although his
ideas of kingly power would have suited us well enough in
France, his arbitrary measures alienated a large proportion of
his people and brought ruin upon him.
"Your second Charles, in spite of his numerous indiscre-
tions, was not unpopular, because the people were wearied of
the stern repression of puritan rule, and were therefore dis-
posed to look leniently upon his frailties, while they appre-
ciated his good temper and wit. His fatal mistake was allying
himself so closely with us—a grievous mistake indeed when
we remember that for centuries the two nations had been bit-
terly opposed to each other. As for his brother, he forfeited
his throne by his leanings towards the Catholic Church, in
whose communion he died. Decidedly the Stuart kings were
not a success. As to James III, as you call him, I know noth-
ing beyond the fact that he is a protege1 of the king of France,
and has now fought against his own people—a blunder, as it
seems to me, of the worst kind, and one which is certain to
alienate many of his supporters on the other side of the water.
Were he to mount the throne, it would be partly due to the aid


238
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
of French trooops and French money—men and money, mind
you, of a power at war with England! He would therefore
necessarily, like Charles II, be regarded as a protege of
France. He would be bound in gratitude to Louis, and the
position of England would be altogether changed; she would
become the ally of Spain and France, her ancient enemies,
and opponent of her present allies, Holland, Austria, Protes-
tant Germany, and Denmark."
Desmond was silent. He could not but agree with what
his friend said, and had himself considered that it was a most
unwise step for James to appear in the field fighting against
his countrymen. "I don't think I am strong enough to argue,
Philip," he said with a smile, after a long pause, " and I don't
mean to give you a victory when I am fighting under dis-
advantages. The Stuarts certainly never did any special
benefit to Ireland, and assuredly brought ruin and misery
upon us; and at the present moment I don't seem able to
explain why we should be so devoted to the cause of these
Scottish Stuarts rather than to that of Anne, who is, after all,
of the same family and race. However, we will fight it out
when my brain is not so dull as it is at present."
They slept the next night at Pontoise, having made a some-
what short journey, though Desmond protested that he felt
quite equal to going on to Paris. "You are a good deal better
to-day, Desmond, but there is no hurry, and we will take
matters quietly. If you continue to make improvement we
shall be able in another day or two to travel faster; and I
hope that, before we get to the end of our journey, you
will be strong enough to sit your horse for a few miles each
clay"
They made no stay in Paris, but proceeded on their way
the morning after their arrival. Melun and Montargis were
their next halting-places. Desmond was gaining strength


CONVALESCENT
230
rapidly. His good spirits were returning, and at their even-
ing halt he had been able to recite the history of his escape
from England. His wound had a less angry appearance, and
on the day of their leaving Montargis the horses, at his re-
quest, occasionally broke into a trot for a mile or two.
"You are looking paler. I think the motion is too much
for you," Philip said after one of these occasions when they
again settled down to a walking pace.
"I feel a bit tired, Philip, but one must make a beginning,
and I shall never get strong unless I begin to use my muscles.
At present I acknowledge I feel as if I had been beaten all
over with sticks, but I have no doubt that I shall shake this
off after a bit."
This was indeed the case, and on the last three days of their
journey to Pointderter he sat his horse for two or three
hours. Philip had, on the last day, sent on one of his men
to inform the baron that he would arrive that evening with
Desmond, and as they were seen approaching, the baron and
his daughter came out from the chateau and welcomed them
as they alighted.
"Do not upset the young fellow by appearing shocked at
his appearance," the former had said to Anne. "It was
certainly a blow this morning to hear that he had lost his
left hand, and that the greater portion of the journey had
had to be performed in a litter, so you must expect to find
him greatly pulled down. But see, they are breaking into
a trot, so he has evidently gained strength on the way."
In spite of the warning, the girl's eyes filled with tears as
she saw Desmond's thin face and wasted figure and his left
arm in a sling.
"Welcome to Pointdexter, Monsieur Kennedy! Many
have entered here since the old chateau was built, but none
who have rendered such vital service to our race. Do not try


240
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
to speak; I see that you are shaken with your journey. We
will soon put that all right."
"It has been a rather longer journey than we have pre-
viously made," Desmond said, after dismounting and shaking
hands with the baron and his daughter, "and we rode some-
what faster than usual, as we were both of us anxious to be
here. It was good indeed of Philip to make such a journey to
find and bring me to you."
"If he had not done so assuredly we should. My foot was
so bad with this villainous gout that I could not put it in
a stirrup, but we should have had out the family coach. I
had half a mind to do so as it was, and Anne was most
anxious to try her powers of nursing, but Philip overruled us,
and said that he would be with you a week earlier than we
could reach you in the coach, and that, moreover, he was
sure the journey in an open horse-litter would be far better
for you than being jolted in a close carriage. So, as usual,
he had his own way, though I must say that for once Anne
rebelled strongly against his authority."
"You are .all very good, Baron," Desmond said; "but,
indeed, I think that Philip was right. I can assure you that
the journey has done me an immense deal of good, and he will
tell you that I am very different now from what I was when
be found me at Amiens, for I had begun to think that I
should never get away alive."
"Do not let us stay talking here," the baron said. "Anne
has had some soup prepared for you under her own eyes, and
that and a glass or two of good Burgundy will do wonders for
you."
Desmond, indeed, was greatly revived, and was able to join
in a cheerful conversation with his hosts.
"We are both dying to hear your adventures," the baron
said, " and how you managed to escape from that jail in Eng-



DESMOND WAS ABLE TO JOIN IN A CHEERFUL CONVERSATION.


CONVALESCENT
241
land as you did, and also how it was that we met with that
dreadful disaster at Oudenarde. It really seems that those
terrible fellows Marlborough and Prince Eugene are in-
vincible."
"They are good generals, Baron. Beyond troubles with
the commanders of the forces of their allies, they are able to
carry out their own plans. The Dukes of Vendome and
Berwick are also able commanders, but they were hampered
by the presence of the Duke of Burgundy, who on several
occasions overruled their opinions and ruined their plans. It
is to him alone that the defeat at Oudenarde is due. The
French soldiers fought as well as ever, and it was the position
in which they were placed, and not the superior fighting
powers of the enemy, that caused their defeat."
"But how is it," the baron asked, " that with, as I hear, one
hundred and ten thousand men Vendome does not raise the
siege of Lille? It seems incredible that, with so great a force,
he should remain inactive while the enemy are carrying out
their works for the siege."
"That I cannot tell you, sir. We heard all sorts of
rumours at Amiens, but it seems that Marlborough had taken
up a strong position and entrenched himself there with
seventy thousand men, while Eugene is conducting the siege
operations."
"I don't understand it," the baron said irritably. "There
must be more ways of marching to Lille than one. If one
road is barred, why not advance by another? The Duke of
Burgundy is not with the army now, so the blame cannot be
put on him."
"No, sir; but Berwick's army is still, as I hear, under his
independent command, and the duke, excellent soldier as he
is, is not one to be easily led. If his opinion differs from
that of Vendome he would assuredly maintain it; and as his
(M 648)


242
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
manner is not conciliatory, and his opinions arc very strongly
expressed, it may well bo that there are, as was rumoured at
Amiens, constant dissensions between him and Vendome."
"Well, it seems to me very strange, Monsieur Kennedy,
after having during the last reign defeated the best infantry
of Spain, humbled Austria, subdued Bavaria, crushed the
enemy in Italy, and shown ourselves to be the best soldiers in
Europe, that we should now suffer defeat after defeat by an
army containing men of half a score of nationalities, though
led by the greatest general that England has ever pro-
duced."
"And, Baron, with English troops under him who have for
hundreds of years shown themselves invincible!"
"Yes, yes," the baron said hastily; "we know all about
Crecy, Poitiers, and Agincourt, and how well they fought in
Holland; but I thought, Kennedy, that you were the enemy
of the English, and were here with your brave countrymen to
fight against them."
"Not in my case assuredly. Baron. I came over here
because there is no opening for Irish gentlemen at home,
and because only by the aid of France could our lawful king
be placed on the throne. It is true that a section of the
English people under Oliver Cromwell not only conquered us
but divided a great portion of our land among themselves,
and although we were again defeated by a usurping Dutch
king with the Dutch troops under his command, that is no
reason why I should feel any animosity to the people at large,
whose qualities I admire, and the majority of whom are in
their hearts attached to the cause of the Stuarts, and hate
those who are keeping the king from his throne. I own that
I would rather that it had fallen to my lot to fight for France
against Spaniards, Germans, and Italians, than against the
English."


CONVALESCENT
243
"Did you lose many friends at Oudenarde, Monsieur
Kennedy?" Anne asked.
"I lost my two greatest friends," Desmond said; "at least
I fear that both are dead. They were the two who escaped
with me from the English prison. They, with Monsieur
d'Eyncourt, another of Berwick's aides-de-camp, started with
me to carry orders to the troops, who were all but surrounded
by the enemy. We went by different roads to increase the
chances of one of us getting there. I succeeded with but this
comparatively trifling wound," and he pointed to his empty
sleeve, "but none of the other three got through, nor did
their names appear when the lists were exchanged of the
prisoners captured, therefore I have no doubt that all fell
in the performance of their duty. We had been great friends
ever since I came out, and their loss has greatly affected me."
"You are young, and will find fresh friends," the baron said
briskly. "Do not let us dwell on the past. You have now to
apply all your energy to getting strong, and if you show as
much vigour in that as in other matters, I hope that in a
month's time you will be well on the road towards complete
recovery."
"I mean to try hard, Baron," Desmond said with a smile.
"If I continue to gain strength as quickly as I have done
during the journey, I shall certainly insist before long on
being considered convalescent."
Day by day indeed his strength increased. At first he
wandered about in the park, accompanied by Philip and Anne,
for the baron, although somewhat recovered from his attack
of gout, still walked with difficulty. In a week he again took
to horse exercise, and was ere long able to join in hunting and
hawking parties. The house was gay, for the baron, as soon
as Desmond was able to take his share in conversation, in-
vited many of the neighbouring gentry to the chateau and in-


244
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
troduced him to them as the man who had done so much for
his daughter and himself. Several entertainments were given,
at which the chateau was thrown open to all-comers, in honour
partly of Desmond and partly of the approaching marriage of
the baron's daughter to Monsieur de la Vallee. This had been
arranged to take place in September. Before that time arrived
Desmond had completely recovered his strength, and being
now fit for service, was anxious to join, but his friends would
not hear of .his departure until after the marriage; and as
news came that Lille had been captured by the allies, and it
was certain that both armies would soon go into winter quar-
ters, and would fight no more that year, he allowed himself
to be persuaded to stay.
The siege had been one of the most terrible in history. The
place was nobly defended, and its conquest cost the allies
dearly, twelve thousand being killed and wounded, and over
seven thousand succumbing to diseases, while of the garrison,
nearly seventeen thousand strong, but four thousand five hun-
dred remained alive at the time it capitulated. Its fall caused
general consternation throughout France, for it opened the
road to Paris, and during the winter Louis made strenuous
efforts to obtain peace; but the terms demanded by the allies
were so onerous that the negotiations were broken off.
In spite of the general distress throughout the country the
wedding was a gay one.
Desmond had written to the Duke of Berwick, who was
now in Paris, saying that he was fit for duty, and would
report himself at the end of the month, and on the day before
he was about to leave Pointdexter he received a reply from
him.


CONVALESCENT
245
It ran as follows:—
Dear Monsieur Kennedy,—I am heartily glad to hear of your
restoration to health. I mentioned you to His Majesty to-day,
who was pleased to speak very highly of you.t The cam-
paign is virtually at an end for the present year. His Majesty
informed me that various changes will be made in the spring.
Marshal de Villars is to replace the Duke of Vendome in the
command of the northern army. The latter has been unfor-
tunate, and misfortune on the part of a soldier is regarded as
next door to a crime. Certainly the defeat at Oudenarde was
not his fault, but had he taken my advice Lille might have
been saved. Doubtless he was as much dissatisfied with me
as I was with him, and perhaps with reason; for, as you know,
I am not accustomed to mince my phrases. However, as His
Majesty was pleased to say, it is evident that having two
generals acting together, each with an independent command,
is a mistake, and one that should not be again committed.
Therefore next spring I am to take the command of an army
in Dauphiny, and to check the Austrians and Italians.
He said, "If you can spare him, Duke, I should be glad if
you would let me have this young Irishman for a time. I
shall promote him to the rank of captain for the great service
he rendered in carrying as you say, at grievous risk and with
the loss of his hand, the order to the troops at Diepenbeck to
scatter during the night, thus saving me at least ten thousand
of my soldiers. I shall also settle upon him a pension of
fifty louis a year for the loss of his hand. I will send him to
Spain, having had several complaints from the Duke of Or-


246
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
leans" (who, as you know, is now in command there) "of
the incompetence of many of his staff." I said that although
I had found you a most zealous and useful officer, and had
a warm regard for you, I would of course accede to His
Majesty's wishes in the matter. Enclosed in this letter is the
order for you to join the Duke of Orleans, and a private letter
from myslf to the duke, giving a sketch of your services and
exploits, which will doubtless give you at once a place in his
favour. I do not think that this war will last very much
longer. France is well-nigh ruined by the sacrifices she has
made, and the drain upon the allies must be almost as great.
Therefore I trust that another campaign will bring it to an
end. If not, you may be assured that when the duke no
longer requires your services—and it is probable that after a
year's campaigning he will be heartily tired with the difficul-
ties that he, as I did, will meet with from the procrastination
and general stupidity of the Spanish—you will be free to re-
turn to me, and I shall be glad to number you again among
the members of my staff.
Desmond was sorry to leave the service of the duke, but
consoled himself with the hope tnat it would be only tempo-
rary; and the prospect of a year's campaigning in a new
country was by no means displeasing to him. Therefore,
after writing a suitable letter to the duke, he took leave of
the Baron Pointdexter, with many thanks for his kindness,
and, attended by Mike, started for Spain.
"It's glad I am to be on the move again, Captain Kennedy,"
the soldier said as they rode away. "Sure, your honour,
idleness is not good for a man, especially when he has lashings


A MISSION
247
of the best of food and drink. When I came to buckle on my
sword-belt this morning I found it would not meet within
three inches, and the coatee is so tight that I feel as if I
was suffocated."
"You will soon work it down again, Mike. From what I
hear of Spain there is no fear of your getting too much food
there. Rough work and small rations are, I hear, the rule."
"I am ready for a good spell then, your honour. I hardly
know myself now, for I am flabby and short of wind. Still,
I am sorry to leave the chateau, for I have had the best time I
ever had in my life. Everyone was mighty kind, and seemed
to think that I had done great things in helping to rescue
Miss Anne, whereas I did nothing at all except to follow you."
CHAPTER XIV
A MISSION
QN arriving at Madrid in the first week in December, 1708,
Desmond, after putting up at an hotel and changing the
uniform in which he travelled for his dress suit, proceeded to
the headquarters of the Duke of Orleans and sent in his name
together with Berwick's letter of introduction. In a few
minutes he was shown into his room. The duke looked at
him in some surprise.
"Are you Captain Kennedy?"
"I am, Your Royal Highness."
"The Duke of Berwick has very strongly recommended you
to me, saying that you had performed excellent service under
him, and that he parted with you with regret at the express
wish of His Majesty. He speaks of you as a young officer,
but I was hardly prepared to see one so youthful. He says


248
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
that you are devoted to your work, active and intelligent as
well as brave, and as such your arrival is very welcome to me,
for although excellent in battle, I own that my officers are less
devoted to the hard work and detail that are as necessary as
bravery on a general's staff. By the way, I seem to have
heard your name before. Let me see, it was in connection,
was it not, with that affair of the Marquis de Tulle and Baron
de Pointdexter's daughter?"
"I certainly had the good fortune to take part in that af-
fair, sir."
"The king himself was pleased to tell me the details of
that adventure, and to speak very highly of your courage and
energy in carrying it out. And so you are really the hero
of that affair? He said that you were a young ensign in
O'Brien's Irish regiment. You have risen rapidly, sir, for it
is but eighteen months since it took place."
"His Majesty graciously promoted me to the rank of lieu-
tenant when I was appointed by the Duke of Berwick to his
staff. I obtained my next step after the battle of Oudenarde,
for carrying a despatch to the force cut off in the village of
Diepenbeck, in which service I received a wound which re-
sulted in the loss of my left hand. I was several weeks in hos-
pital, and then obtained sick leave and went down for two
months to Baron de Pointdexter, which visit resulted in my
complete restoration to health. At the end of that time the
Duke of Berwick, who had also returned from the army, was
good enough to recommend me to His Majesty, and he there-
upon promoted me and appointed me to join your staff."
"If Marshal Berwick spoke approvingly of your conduct,
Captain Kennedy, it is in itself a sufficient recommendation,
for the duke is not easily satisfied. I am sure that I shall
find you a valuable acquisition to my staff."
The duke invited Desmond to dine with him that evening,


250
IN THE IWSH BMGADE
It was indeed essential for his work, as without it he could not
have made his way about and safely delivered the orders of
which he was the bearer. In the beginning of March the
duke sent for him.
"I have been greatly pleased, Captain Kennedy, with the
activity that you have displayed, and am going to make a
further call upon you. This mission is of greater importance
than any on which you have hitherto been engaged, and is one
which ordinarily would be entrusted to an officer of higher
rank, but I feel that I cannot do better than place it in your
hands. From what we learn, I believe that it is the inten-
tion of the enemy to commence the campaign by crossing the
frontier near Badajos. By so doing they can either follow the
valley of the Guadiana to the sources of the river and then
come down into Valencia, or they could cross the sierras, come
down into the valley of the Tagus, and march on Madrid.
"In the first place I wish a report as to the state of the
fortifications of Badajos and the efficiency of its garrison.
I am, of course, acquainted with the official reports sent by
the Spanish commander of the town to his Government, but I
have come to place no faith whatever in Spanish reports,
which for the most part are a tissue of falsehoods. Your first
duty, then, will be to give me as complete a report as possible
of the state of things there, of your impressions of the ca-
pacity of the governor as shown by his preparations, also of
the moralQof the troops. In the next place, I shall be glad of
any information you can gather of the country beyond the
frontier, and the state of the roads in all that neighbourhood.
Here again the native reports are absolutely untrustworthy.
The line of the enemy's advance would be either direct from
Lisbon through Vicosa, or up the Tagus, which offers them
great facilities for carriage, and down through Portalegre
and Alvas.


A MISSION
251
"During the past four years there has been a good deal of
fighting near the frontier, but the reports of the officers com-
manding the Spanish forces there are devoid of any practical
information as to the roads on our side of the boundary. As
it has been resolved to give the enemy battle as soon as he
crosses the frontier, it is most important that I should know
the best lines by which troops can move, the state of the
bridges, and the positions in which a battle on a large scale
can best be fought. You see the mission is an important one,
and I selected you for it as a proof of the confidence I feel in
your ability. While carrying out this duty, you shall have
the temporary rank of major, as it will less ruffle the suscep-
tibility of the Spaniards if an officer of that rank be em-
ployed than if a captain be sent to institute such enquiries.
"You will, of course, be provided with a letter to the Gov-
ernor of Badajos, couched in such terms that he will not con-
sider your mission has any reference to himself, its object be-
ing to discover whether the magazines at Badajos are suffi-
ciently well supplied to admit of their being, if necessary,
drawn upon for the subsistence of the army; also, whether the
garrison needs strengthening in case the enemy should lay
siege to the town before our army is at hand to give battle.
Thus you will ostensibly confine your enquiries to the
amount of provisions and ammunition, and consult the gov-
ernor as to whether he considers the force at his disposal suffi-
cient for the defence of the fortress against a vigorous at-
tack. Fortunately, the Spanish methods are so slow that be-
fore you get these particulars you will have ample time to as-
certain the points as to which I am chiefly concerned.
"You will be furnished with a native guide well acquainted
with the passes of the sierras between the Tagus and the
Quadiana. This part of your journey will not be unattended
with danger, for the mountains swarm with bands of parti-


252
IK THE IRISH BRIGADE
sans, that is to say, bandits. I shall, however, give you an
order to the officer in command of the garrison at Toledo to
furnish you with an escort of ten troopers under an officer,
to conduct you across the mountains. Four of these will
accompany you to Badajos, and remain with you until you
return tc Toledo. Once in the valley of the Guadiana you
should have little chance of falling in with any bands of
guerillas, but an escort will add to your weight and impor-
tance in the eyes of the Spaniards."
"I feel greatly honoured, Your Royal Highness, by your
selecting me for the mission, and will carry it out to the best
of my ability."
"In an hour the papers will be ready for you, and you can
start at daybreak to-morrow."
"We are going on a long trip this time, Mike."
"Back to France, your honour?"
"No; we are going to the western frontier by Badajos."
"It makes no difference to me, sir, where we are going; but
in truth I shall be glad to go anywhere, for I am mightily
sick of this town, where the people have no great love for the
French, and the best part of them seem to look down upon us
soldiers as if we were dirt under our feet. It is unsafe to
go through the streets alone at night. A score of men have
since we came here, been found lying dead with a knife be-
tween thir ribs."
"Yes, the population here is very much divided, Mike, and
even those who are favourable to Philip have no love for the
foreign soldiers whose bayonets keep him on the throne. The
duke has many times made formal complaints to the king and
the city authorities. Philip has given strict orders for the
arrest of bad characters, but the city civil authorities pro-
test that they cannot lay hands upon them, and I believe have
never taken the slightest trouble to do so."


A MISSION
253
"How long shall we be away, your honour?"
"I should say a month I am to have temporary rank as
major while engaged on this business; anyone under that
grade would receive but little courtesy from the Spaniards."
"They are a mighty haughty lot," Mike grumbled. "I
believe they think that when the flood came the Spanish
grandees had an ark all to themselves, as they could not be
expected to put up with a conveyance full of animals."
Desmond laughed.
"They haven't yet taken in the fact that Spain is no longer
the great power she was when she was mistress of half of
Europe. They were fine fighters then, Mike. For my part
I own that I cannot understand how it is they have fallen
off in that respect, for certainly without our troops they
would make but a poor stand against the Portuguese, backed
up by the English and Dutch."
"I have not seen them fighting yet, sir, but to my mind
people so fond of using their knives are not likely to be of
much account when it comes to manly, straightforward fight-
ing. Well, your honour, if you are to go as a major you will
need some slight alterations in your uniform—more gold
lace, and such like. So I had best see about it at once."
"I did not think of that, Mike; but you are right. I don't
know whether, as I only hold temporary rank, I have a right
to wear the uniform of a field-officer; but as the duke wishes
me to be able to speak with some authority, there can be
no harm in making the change, and the additions can easily
be taken off upon my return."
"The duke ought to have given you the full rank instead
of the temporary one, sir. You have done more work since
you came here than all the colonels and majors on his staff."
"As far as work goes that may be so, Mike; but as the
work consisted in carrying despatches about on horseback, it


254
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
certainly affords no claim for promotion. And indeed I have
no wish whatever for it. I am already the youngest captain
in the service except the young nobles who got their com-
missions as colonels without even serving a day in inferior
rank. I feel uncomfortable now when I go to our regiments,
to see men who have been years in the service, and gone
through many a desperate action, still lieutenants, while I,
after two years' service, and still under nineteen, am a cap-
tain."
"Yes, sir; but you know that you saved eight or ten thou-
sand men to France at Oudenarde, and you lost a hand in
the service of the country. That would count for a good deal."
"It counts for something, no doubt, Mike, but many of
these officers have risked their lives a score of times, and been
wounded frequently, though they may not have lost a limb."
"Ah well, sir!" Mike said philosophically, "luck is every
thing. And who would go soldiering if it was not so? When
going into battle everyone knows that a lot of his comrades
will be killed, but he trusts to his luck to get through safely.
One man gets promoted and another doesn't, and he hopes
that luck will come his way next time. I don't say that your
honour's promotion has been luck, but you have had luck in
being on the staff of the Duke of Berwick, and everyone
knows that it is the staff-officers who get the credit and
promotion, while the men who do most of the fighting get
passed over. There would be nothing to say against that
if, as in your honour's case, a man was chosen for the staff
because he had done something that showed that he was fit
for it. But it isn't so here. If a man belongs to a good
family, and has interest, he gets a good appointment; and it is
mighty seldom that a man is taken from his regiment and
put on to the staff because he has done something which
showed he was a good soldier."


A MISSION
255
"That is so, Mike; there is no denying it. And I believe
it is one reason why so many disasters have befallen the
French army. The generals are as a rule good, and the
soldiers are excellent, but the staff are generally altogether
incompetent, and seem to consider that the fact that they are
nobles renders it unecessary for them to give attention to
details, or to be more than ornamental figures in the general's
train. And when we see the authority of Vendome overruled
by a young prince who is grandson of the king, and nothing
else, one must not be surprised that it is the same all through
the army."
That evening Desmond received a packet containing his
appointment as major while on special service, details of in-
structions as to the points to be attended to, and letters from
the duke to the commandant of the garrison at Toledo, and
from Philip to the Governor at Badajos. The next morning
he started at daybreak, accompanied by Mike, and arrived
that evening at Toledo. Here he presented his letter to the
commandant. "Very well, sir," the officer said when he had
read it. "At what hour do you wish the escort and guide to
be ready in the morning?"
"I should like to start as early as possible, Colonel. I my-
self, being well mounted, might cross the sierra in a day; but
the troopers' horses could not do that."
"You would not gain anything if they could, Major Ken-
nedy, for even if your 'horse could carry you over sixty or
seventy miles of mountain roads in a day you would cer-
tainly need a couple of days' rest before proceeding farther.
If you get as far as Enmedio, which is in the heart of the
sierra, you will have done well. You will then have another
long day's ride down to Ciudad Real, from which place the
officer with six of the troopers will return. The general says
nothing about a commissioned officer, but I shall take it upon


256
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
myself to send one to accompany you with the four men; it
will take a good deal of trouble off your hands."
"I am much obliged to you, Colonel."
"Now that we have finished business," the officer said, " we
can talk of other things. You will, of course, put up here. I
have two or three spare rooms, and the accommodation at the
inns is wretched. I am always very glad when an officer rides
through, because we hear little enough of what is passing,
and as there is no sort of sociability among the Spaniards,
life is very dull here, and one is very glad of the change."
"Thank you, Colonel; I will gladly accept your invitation."
The colonel rang a bell and ordered a servitor who an-
swered to show Major Kennedy's servant where to put up
Lis master's horses and his own, to bring up the officer's va-
lises, and to make the soldier comfortable below.
"We shall sup in half an hour," he said to Desmond when
the man had left. "Two of my majors are going to share
the meal."
As soon as the valises were brought up, Desmond changed
his uniform, got rid of the dust of the road, and was just
ready when a servant knocked at the door and said that the
supper was served. The meal was a pleasant one. The three
French officers were anxious to hear the last news that had
reached Madrid from France. The conversation did not flag
for a moment during the meal. After this was over and
cigars were lighted—for the officers had all adopted the cus-
tom of the country—the colonel said courteously, 'Would
you mind telling us, Major Kennedy, how it is that you, who
by your name are Irish, although you speak excellent French,
have made your way so rapidly as to be already a major?"
"Not at all, Colonel. I am myself as much surprised at it
as you may be. But, really, my present rank is only tempo-
rary. I am going down to Badajos on a special mission for


A MISSION
257
the Duke of Orleans, and as he thought that I should be re-
ceived better were I a field-officer instead of captain, he has
given me the temporary rank of major while so em-
ployed. I will briefly tell you how I obtained the other
steps. The first was given me by the king on my appoint-
ment as aide-de-camp to the Duke of Berwick; His Majesty
being good enough to take an interest in me owing to a little
adventure in which I had become involved. It concerned,
I may say, the almost accidental rescue of a lady who had
been carried off by a nobleman of the court."
"I remember now," the colonel said. "The lady was
Mademoiselle de Pointdexter, and her abductor Vicomte de
Tulle. It happened a month or so before our regiment left
Paris for Spain, and was the chief topic of talk. I recall
your name now in connection with the affair, and how
warmly everyone spoke of your gallantry. Well, Major, how
did you gain your next step?"
"I had the good fortune to be the only one who survived
of four aides-de-camp who were sent off by the Duke of Ber-
wick at Oudenarde to make their way through the allied
lines with orders to the division cut off from the rest of the
army in the village of Diepenbeck, to disperse and make off
across the country as best they could. My comrades were all
killed, but I was lucky enough to succeed in reaching the vil-
lage uninjured, with the exception of a ball in the wrist,
which caused the loss of my hand, and I may say almost of my
life. It was because of the favourable report which the duke
was pleased to make of this service that I received my rank
as captain."
"It was well earned too, sir," the colonel said warmly. "I
confess I thought when you arrived that, although Irish by
name, you must have had some very powerful influence at
your back to have risen so early. Unhappily promotion often
(M648) Q


258
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
bears no relation whatever to merit, and one sees young no-
bles with no other recommendation than that of their birth
placed over the heads of officers of five-and-twenty years' ser-
vice. No one is jealous of a man who owes his rise to brill-
iant deeds of courage or signal ability; but it is galling to see
these young popinjays thrust forward simply by family in-
fluence."
In passing over the hills the next day, a large party of
armed men made their appearance suddenly on a height
above; but seeing that an attack was likely to meet with a
stout resistance, and as little booty would be obtainable, they
did not interfere with their passage. Desmond congratu-
lated himself on having an escort, for it would have gone
hard with him had he been accompanied only by Mike. On
the fifth day after leaving Madrid he arrived at Badajos, with
the sergeant, the four troopers, and Mike. After some for-
malities—for the town, being close to the frontier, was lia-
ble at any moment to be suddenly attacked—Desmond was
conducted to the governor, a pompous Spanish officer.
"Are you yourself Major Kennedy?" he asked, looking
with some surprise at his young visitor.
"My name is Kennedy, sir, and I have the honour of being
major and to serve on the staff of his grace the Duke of
Orleans. I am the bearer of a letter to you from His Majesty
King Philip."
The Spaniard took the letter and read it, and Desmond
could see by the expression of his countenance that he was by
no means pleased.
"I do not understand," he said coldly, "why an officer
should have been specially despatched to obtain information
which I have already duly furnished."
"I understood from the Duke of Orleans, sir, that as
news has been received that the enemy's plans were to cross


A MISSION
259
the frontier near this town, it became a matter of special im-
portance to see that it was sufficiently supplied with provi-
sions and munitions of war to stand a siege. It has been
found more than once that owing to the culpable neglect of
subordinates, fortresses when besieged were by no means so
well supplied with provisions, powder and shot, as had been
supposed. Naturally the governor of a fortress like this,
with a considerable garrison, is too much occupied to person-
ally superintend all these matters, and must leave them in
the hands of his subordinates, who on their part commit
them to those of sergeants and store-keepers; so that, while
everything is reported to be ready, there are really deficien-
cies. A waste often takes place in the distribution of stores,
and the matter was so important that the king requested the
duke to send one of his staff to give you every assistance, and
to receive your suggestions, which will be complied with to
their full extent. As your last report was sent in some three
months back, necessarily considerable changes have taken
place in that time."
"Well, sir, I will obey His Majesty's orders and give you
every facility. My officers shall be instructed to open such
magazines as you may select, and you will then be able per-
sonally to judge as to the quantity and condition of the stores.
It will, of course, be impossible, unless with an immense ex-
penditure of labour, to go through the whole of the magazines
and to reckon up their contents; but as many as you wish
shall be opened, and a party of soldiers told off to count the
bales and cases."
"A very few will suffice, sir. Of course in the event of a
battle being fought and a reverse occurring, the enemy might
sit down before your town. You would be exposed to a long
siege, for it might be some time before the army was again
in a position to advance and fight another battle or raise the


260
EN THE IRISH BRIGADE
siege. I have little doubt that everything will be found in
excellent order, but should there be any deficiencies the duke
assured me that they would be at once made good."
"If you will call to-morrow morning, sir," the governor
said, "I will have some of the officials in whose charge these
matters are, placed at your disposal; but I am convinced that
you will find that my reports on the stores and ammunition in
hand are fully borne out."
"The governor is, as I expected, a good deal put out, Mike,"
Desmond said as he rejoined his follower, who was waiting
outside with the horses. "Now, let us find out the best hotel."
"Didn't he ask you to stay with him, your honour ?" Mike
asked in surprise.
"No; he is much too grand a man for that, and besides, he
may have his wife and children with him; and however much
a Spaniard may place his house and all within it at your
service, it is very seldom that he invites a stranger to enter
it. Moreover, glad as they may be to have French help in
fighting their battles, they look with suspicion and dislike
upon an individual Frenchman. Besides, I fancy I shall find
that these stores and magazines by no means tally with the
report sent in by the governor. I heard the Duke of Berwick
one day speaking about it, and he said there was corrup-
tion and dishonesty among their officials from the highest to
the lowest. It is probable that both the king and the Duke
of Orleans have the same opinion, and that it was for this
reason that they sent me here, in order to assure them that the
fortress is as well supplied as has been stated. With the
other papers I have received a copy of the governor's report,
although I did not think it necessary to tell him so."
The next morning, on going to the governor's, Desmond
found a number of officials assembled there. "These are the
officers in charge of the stores and magazines," the governor


202
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
massively built, and covered by some five or six feet of earth.
"The first of these on the right contains musketry ammuni-
tion," Colonel Mendez said, "the next two contain cannon
balls; powder is stored in the three houses at the farther end,
and the three on the left side contain hand-grenades, fuses
for mines, signal rockets, and other miscellanies, such as
brimstone."
"We will examine number one first," Desmond said.
"Which is the officer in charge?"
One of the officials stepped forward with a key. Desmond
saw that his face was pale, and that he had a sullen look.
"I will ask you before we enter," he said, "how often do
you take stock of your stores? I suppose when the governor
sends in his half-yearly report?"
"We do not do it that way at all," the man said. "I have
a book; it was given to me by the officer I succeeded. Here
it is. You will see that he handed over so many barrels of
cartridges. On one side of the page I put down the number
of barrels issued, and on the other the number I receive, and
thus at any time, without disturbing the contents of the store,
I can state the number of barrels it contains."
'Then how long have you held this position, sir?"
"I have been in charge of this store and of those used for
powder in the cellars underneath the castle for ten years."
"The man whom you succeeded;—how long had he been
here?
"I believe he had been here for twenty years or more."
"And his system of keeping accounts was the same as
yours?"
"Precisely. He handed his books to me, and I have kept
mine in the same way."
"Then it is a fact, if I understand you rightly, that there
has been no taking of stock for the past thirty years?"


A MISSION
203
"It was not necessary," the officer said in a surly tone.
"There can be no mistake possible considering the way in
which we made our entries."
They now entered the store. It was some sixty feet long
and forty feet wide, with pillars of masonry along the centre
to support the weight of the roof. It was lighted only by
small loopholes in the thick walls. Four of the soldiers carried
lanterns, and they were about to enter when Desmond said,
"There is no loose powder lying about, I suppose?"
"None," the officer replied. "The barrels were all carefully
examined before being taken into the store. They are, as you
can see, strongly made; a leakage is out of the question, unless
by any accident one should fall off the pile and burst; but
such a thing has never happened as far as I know."
"I see by your book that there should be three thousand
four hundred and eighty-two barrels, each containing five
hundred cartridges. Certainly an ample supply even for a
prolonged siege."
The barrels were piled in four tiers, one above another,
forming a wall on each side of a central path seven feet wide.
"Give me your hand, Mike," Desmond said to his follower,
and, standing upon it, he was able to scramble on to the top.
"Twelve barrels deep," he said as he descended. "Now let
us count the number in each line."
The wall of barrels extended only some two-thirds of the
length of the stores, and there were thirty barrels in each line.
He made a rapid calculation. "That is three thousand two
hundred, but I see that in addition there is a small pile on
each side beyond the others which would about make up the
correct total. Your record is strictly accurate."
The official took up the lantern as if the matter was now
finished, but Desmond said: "No, sir; I have but begun; and
my instructions were to see how much musket ammunition



ONE OF THE SOLDIERS GAVE AN EXCLAMATION.





A MISSION
265
was nowhere to be found; he had slipped away as soon as the
men began to take down the barrels. Some soldiere were at
once sent off in search of him.
"We will continue the work," Desmond said, " and see how
extensively this fraud has been carried on."
The same result was met with in each of the openings. The
first three lines consisted of barrels filled with cartridges; the
seven lines behind contained nothing but earth.
"You see, Colonel, instead of having over three thousand
two hundred barrels of cartridges, you have less than a
thousand. It is almost beyond belief I It is clear that this
fellow, and probably the man who was in charge before him,
have been in collusion with the contractors for these car-
tridges, and allowed them to send in seven barrels of earth for
every three of cartridges. No doubt they calculated that there
was little chance of the fraud being detected,—never indeed
until there was a prolonged siege,—for they would naturally
serve out the barrels from the front row as they were required,
filling their places with fresh ones as supplies came in."
The other store houses were now examined. The number
of cannon ball alone tallied with the account. There were
large deficiencies in the store of powder, and indeed among
almost all the other munitions.
"It is infinitely worse than I thought," the colonel said,
"and I fear that the store-keepers are not the only people
concerned in these frauds."
"Now, Colonel, if you do not mind, I should like to go to
one of the provision stores at once; possibly, after what we
have discovered, some pretext to stop further examination
may be invented if we wait till to-morrow."
Great as had been the fraud in the magazines, that in the
supplies of provisions was even greater. There was a de-
ficiency of many hundreds of sacks of flour and beans. The


266
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
meat stores were entirely empty, although they should have
contained a large number of tierces of salted beef. This was
a matter of minor importance, for in case of the approach of
an enemy the people of the country round would drive their
cattle, into the town, and indeed the allowance of meat to a
Spanish soldier was so small that he could do well without
it, existing entirely upon bread and fried beans. Of wine
there was scarce half the amount indicated. A great number
sof the barrels had been filled only with water. It was late in
the afternoon when the work ceased.
"I should require a fortnight," Desmond said, "to get ac-
curate figures. This, however, is comparatively unimportant.
It is quite sufficient to know that in no case is there half the
amount either of ammunition or of provisions given in the
governor's last report, and that fraud on a large scale has been
carried on, and I cannot but think that some men at least of
higher rank than these store-keepers must have been privy
to the affair."
"There has certainly been something wrong in the supply
of clothes, Major Kennedy. My men have had no new ones
served out to them for the past year and a half, although I
have made repeated applications during the past two months."
"Yes; I noticed when I walked about in the town yesterday
that many of the troops were almost in rags, and I have no
doubt there has been fraud in the clothing department as
well as in all the others."
"Well, sir, as a Spaniard I lament this terrible exposure.
Blame, however, must not be laid entirely upon the military;
the supply of provisions of all kinds, of cloth for clothing, and
indeed of everything but guns and ammunition, is in the
hands of the junta of the province, and of the civil authority
here. Many of the members must be concerned in the matter,
and T •** doubt that the officials here are heavily bribed


TREACHERY
267
to shut their eyes, and to arange matters so that the frauds
may escape attention. I know that once when I proposed
to the governor to examine some of the barrels of cartridges
as they came in, he answered me very sharply, and told me
that my business was to work the guns and not to meddle
with the duties of the store-keeper."
"Then you think, Colonel?—"
"I think nothing," the officer replied; "the governor is the
governor, and it is not for me to discuss his conduct in any
way, nor even to admit the possibility of his knowing of this
Only two or three of the store-keepers had been arrested,
the rest had slunk away as soon as they saw how matters were
going.
T this moment an officer came down and said that the
governor wished to see Colonel Mendez and Major
Kennedy at once. As they entered the room they saw the
governor walking up and down in a state of great agitation.
"I hear, Colonel Mendez," he said, stopping before that
officer, "that you have on your own authority placed several
of the commissariat store-keepers under arrest. What does
this mean, sir?"
"It means, sir, that Major Kennedy has discovered enor-
mous deficiencies in the stores, and there can be little doubt
that a number of persons must have been concerned in the
matter besides those in charge of the storehouses. Wholesale
bribery must have been practised by those who supplied the
goods to those whose duty it was to receive them."
affair."
CHAPTER XV
TREACHERY


268
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"I shall order a commission of enquiry to sit at once, and
beg that you, Colonel Hendez.will send me in a detailed report
of the matter, which is, I need hardly say, one of extreme
gravity."
"I was right," Colonel Mendez said, as they left the
governor's house. "I suspected that something was wrong
ever since he refused to allow me access to the magazines. I
have no doubt that he has been acting in collusion with the
contractors, though he may not have been aware of the ex-
tent of their rascality, for his subordinates may not only have
accepted brides from the contractors to carry on the frauds
to which the governor may have consented, but may also have
taken money from these to allow of still greater ones to be
perpetrated."
"What will he do, do you think, Colonel?"
"He will endeavour by every means in his power to prevent
any word of your discovery from leaking out. And if I may
advise you, I should say it would be well that you should take
every precaution for your own safety. His position is a des-
perate one, for one cannot doubt that your report will be fol-
lowed by his removal from his post, his dismissal from the
army, and the confiscation of everything of which he is pos-
sessed. Therefore it is almost a matter of life and death to
him to prevent your report from being sent to head-quarters,
and to have you removed altogether. This done, the facts
might not leak out. It would be supposed at Madrid that you
had been stabbed by some street ruffian. And although another
officer might be sent down to report, it is by no means likely
that he would go so rigorously into matters as you did, but
would be contented merely to count barrels and bales without
troubling to investigate their contents."
"But your evidence would be as strong against him as
mine."


TREACHEBT
260
"Yes; but that evidence is not yet given. He can, in the
first place, and I have no doubt will, suppress my report
to him; in the second place, he would consider it unlikely
that I should venture to make the matter public, for he has
powerful friends at court. He is connected with many of the
leading families in the province, and might rely upon being
able to hush the matter up so long as it was known only to
the heads of our army, who are not unaware that, although
the pay of a commander of a fortress is not more than suffi-
cient to maintain his position, they, like most other of our
officials, generally retire with considerable fortunes. There-
fore, any interference on my part would be more disastrous to
my prospects than to his. It is humiliating to say so, Major
Kennedy, but both our civil and military systems are rotten
to the core. There are, of course, honest men in both services,
but as a rule corruption is almost universal. Still, although
he cannot fear me as he must fear you, it is possible he may
endeavour to make himself safe by removing me also from his
path; and for a time I shall take good care to remain in my
own barracks as much as possible."
"I will be careful also," Desmond said, "and I thank you
much for the warning, which was needed, for it would never
have struck me that he would even attempt to suppress the
information that I have gained; but I see that it will be neces-
sary to be very careful, especially in the manner of sending off
my reports."
"If I were in your place I should mount my horse at once,
and with the troopers of the escort ride straight for Madrid."
"I cannot do that, Colonel, for the examination into the
state of the stores here was only a part of my instructions,
and I must, if possible, carry these out to the letter before
leaving for Madrid. I might, however, send off my despatch
by two of the troopers with me."


270
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"I think you may take my word for it, Major, that they
would never reach their destination. Even while we are
spaking a messenger may be sent off either to one of these
bands in the mountains, or to two or three of the contractors
—who are, of course, as deeply involved as the governor, for
there is no doubt of their guilt, while no proof can be given
to his being a party to it—telling them that it is a matter of
life and death to them to prevent you or your messengers
from reaching Madrid."
"The look-out is certainly far from comfortable," Desmond
admitted, "and I must to-night think it over in every way,
and decide upon what course I had best pursue."
When he reached the hotel he told Mike what Colonel
Mendez had said.
"By the powers, your honour, it is a nasty scrape that we
seem to be in, almost as bad as when you were shut up in that
prison in London."
"Worse, Mike; for then we knew that we should be tried,
but hoped that Louis would interfere in our favour, and by
threatening reprisals obtain our liberty; whereas here we
have only ourselves to depend upon, and the blow may come
at any moment."
"Well, at any rate, your honour, we will see that none get
at you unbeknown. I will lie down in your room against the
door, and if the sergeant places a man on guard outside, it is
hard if anyone gets at you."
"I hardly think the precaution necessary; but there is no
saying what this man might not do in so desperate a situa-
tion, so I will tell the sergeant to place a sentry at the door,
and to relieve him every two hours. I shall think the matter
over, and by to-morrow morning shall decide whether I had
best remain here and complete my work, or ride at once to
Madrid."


TREACHEBY
271
At about two o'clock in the morning Desmond, who had but
just dropped off to sleep, was aroused by hearing the sentry
outside his door challenge. There was no answer; all re-
mained quiet. Mike leapt to his feet and opened the door.
"What is it?" he asked the sentry.
"I saw two or three men at the end of the corridor. It was
too dark to make them out clearly. They were coming this
way. I levelled my carbine and cried, 'Who comes there?'
and at once they stole away. They could have been after no
good, for their steps were noiseless, and they must have come
up without boots."
"Keep a sharp look-out, sentry," Desmond said, "and see
that they don't steal up to you, for if they do, you may be
stabbed before you have time to turn round. It is lucky that
I carried out your suggestion, Mike, and posted a sentry at
the door. Of course these men the sentry saw may not have
been coming here, but at any rate their conduct was sus-
picious."
In a few minutes Desmond was again asleep. He had had
a long day's work, and believing that the affair was over, at
least for the night, he did not even try to keep awake. As
soon as Mike heard by his breathing that he was asleep, he got
up noislessly and seated himself near the open window with a
loaded pistol. An hour passed, and then he heard a slight stir
in the street. He did not look out, but grasped his pistol
tightly. Their room was on the first floor. Presently he
heard a grating sound against the window. It was very dark,
and he knelt down so that he would be able to make out any
figure that showed above the window-sill. He thought first of
rousing his master, but as he had another pistol in his belt,
and his sword leaned against the wall ready to his hand, he
thought it better to let matters take their course. He had
heard no further sound, but presently a round object appeared


272
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
in sight. Stretching out his arm, he fired without a moment's
hesitation. There was a sound of a heavy fall below, followed
by some muttered exclamations. In a moment Desmond was
on his feet, a pistol which he had laid by his pillow in his grasp.
"What is it, Mike?"
"It is only a gentleman who had a fancy for looking in at
the window, your honour, and I have no doubt would have
come in without saying by your leave, if I had not cut the
matter short by putting a bullet into his. forehead. He had
some friends down below. He came up on a ladder." He
looked out of the window. "They are taking it down now,
your honour. Shall I give them another shot?"
"No, Mike; let them go, the lesson has been good enough."
The sentry had also run into the room on hearing the shot.
"It is all over/' Desmond said. "Seeing that you pre-
vented them from getting in at the door they tried the
window. Mike has shot one of them."
There was a sound of feet and loud talking in the passage,
and as Desmond went out, the landlord, two of the serving-
men, and several of those staying at the hotel ran up.
"What is it, sefior, We heard a shot."
"Yes; a fellow tried to enter my window by means of a
ladder, but fortunately my man heard him and shot him
before he came in. No doubt it was some prowling marauder,
who, seeing my window open, thought there was a chance
of plunder."
"Carrambo! " the landlord exclaimed, " then we shall have
enquiries and all sorts of 'trouble."
"I don't think you will," Desmond said quietly. "I fancy
he had some friends down below, and they will probably carry
his body and the ladder away, and if you hold your tongues
nothing more will be heard of it. Mike, do you and the,
sentry take a lantern and go down and see."


TREACHERY
273
The landlord looked out of the window.
"As far as I can see everything is quiet there," he said.
"Are you sure that your servant was not dreaming?"
"That you will soon ascertain if you go down with him,"
Desmond said. "I fancy that you will find some traces of
the affair there."
The landlord, followed by his two servants, went down
with the soldiers, and then, lighting a lantern and handing it
to them, went out, keeping carefully behind them.
"There," Mike said, when he stopped under Desmond's
window; "does that look like a dream?" and he pointed to
a patch of blood on the pavement.
"It is true enough," the landlord said. "Pedro and Lopez,
fetch pails of water and brooms and get rid of this blood,
otherwise we shall be having enquiries made in the morning."
Mike returned to his master, at whose door the sergeant
and the other troopers were standing.
"There is no occasion, sergeant," Desmond had just said,
"to keep a sentry at the door any longer. We can be quite
sure that we shall not be disturbed again before morning, and
indeed I am not likely to sleep after this."
"Very well, sir; but if you don't mind I will keep a sentry
on watch."
"Just as you like, sergeant, but I feel sure there is no occa-
sion for it. Still, after what has happened, it may perhaps be
wise to do so."
"Well, Mike," Desmond said when they were again alone,
"the campaign has opened with spirit. This is something like
that journey with the Baron de Pointdexter, when we ex-
pected to be attacked every^ninute."
"Well, we got through that all right, your honour, and it is
hard if we don't get through this."
At six o'clock a volley of musketry was fired.
(mM8) h


274
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"They are practising early, sir," Mike said.
"It can't be that, Mike, it is too close. They would go
beyond the outer works to practise, and by the sound it is
certainly much nearer than that, though possibly just outside
the walls."
"I will go out and enquire, your honour. When one is at
war it is well to know exactly what the enemy are doing."
"Take one of the troopers with you, Mike. Pierre speaks
Spanish well."
Mike returned in an hour.
"They have shot all the prisoners we took yesterday,"
he said. "I hear they held a sort of court-martial in the
evening at the governor's. It did not sit more than ten
minutes. They were all found guilty of fraud and treachery,
and were shot this morning."
"Worse and worse, Mike! Evidently the governor is
determined to get rid of all whose evidence might throw
any light on this matter. After what has happened here, and
these summary executions, I feel very uncomfortable as to
Colonel Mendez. Will you go to the artillery barracks with
a message from me, that as I have my first report to write
out I shall not continue the investigations to-day? Take
Pierre with you again."
When Mike returned Desmond saw that his news was bad.
"The colonel had not been seen when I got there, and his
servant went up to his room and found him lying dead,
stabbed to the heart."
"Another witness gone," Desmond said, "an honourable
gentleman and a pleasant one. Well, Mike, the matter be-
comes more and more serious. After this there is but one
thing open to me, and that is to return to Madrid at once.
When I relate the circumstances to the duke, he will see that
had I endeavoured to carry out the rest of his instructions the


TREACHERY
275
chance of my report ever coming to hand would have been
slight indeed, and it is all-important that he should get it.
The question is, shall we mount and ride at once, or shall I go
and take leave of the governor?"
"Of course, your honour, you can do as you like, but I
should say that the sooner we are out of this the better. The
longer we stay here the more time he will have to take care
we don't get back alive.
"There was another thing I did not tell you, sir. As we
went to the barracks we passed some cavalry men talking.
They were arguing that the enemy must be marching this
way, for at two o'clock last night ten troopers were suddenly
called up and sent off, the gates being opened for them by
order of the governor."
"Just what I expected, Mike; he has written to warn the
various contractors that the frauds have been discovered, and
no doubt telling them that all messengers from here must
be stopped and searched and all reports and documents taken
from them; that if I come myself I am to be put out of the
way; and that if this can be done the matter can be hushed
up, as he has taken measures to silence all those who know
anything about the affair. Well, I think you are right. We
need not mind saying good-by to this scoundrel, as it would
only give him time to perfect his arrangements. I have no
doubt that he would pretend to be ill or to be engaged in
some business that would detain him, and manage to keep me
waiting some hours before he saw me. Order the sergeant
to saddle up at once. Let the men eat a meal as quickly as
possible, and let each put a bottle of wine and a loaf of bread
into his valise, so that we shall be able to ride without stop-
ping anywhere. Say that we shall mount in twenty minutes,
and they must not wait to polish up their accoutrements.
Tell them to put plenty of forage before the horses, and not


TREACHERY
277
through an enemy's country. Messengers were, I hear, sent off
yesterday evening in various directions, and I have no doubt
that these were to the various contractors concerned in the
plot, urging upon them the necessity of preventing the news
from reaching Madrid, and perhaps to some of the robber
bands in the sierra. Therefore, instead of keeping the main
road up the valley we will ride by country tracks and avoid
all large towns. We will not put up anywhere, but will biv-
ouac in the open. In this way I hope that we shall yet avoid
any parties of men who may be lying in wait for us. The most
dangerous part of the journey will, of course, be the passage
of the mountains. We must there travel by one or other of
the roads through the defiles, and it is possible all these may
be watched. If we are attacked we must endeavour to ride
through them. If this is impossible, we will sell our lives as
dearly as we can."
"You may trust us for that, Major," the sergeant said. "I
have no love for these Spaniards, and we are all discon-
tented at being kept down here to fight the King of Spain's
battles instead of being up in the north, where every man is
wanted to prevent the enemy marching to Paris."
They struck off from the road when nearing Merida, and
followed a country track until they came upon the road be-
tween that town and Torre Mocha. Avoiding the latter place,
they took the road to Truxillo, and late in the afternoon ap-
proached that town and halted in a wood two miles distant
from it. Here Desmond consulted his map. There were two
roads from Truxillo. Crossing the sierra the main and shorter
road came down upon the Tagus at Almarez, the other passed
through Deleytoza and came down upon the bridge at Condo.
Beyond Deleytoza it appeared to be a mere mule track.
"If there are any parties watching," he said to Mike, " they
will expect that my messenger or I myself will travel by the


TREACHERY
279
reach the Duke of Orleans. Unless he has it we may lose
Badajos and the cause suffer irreparable injury."
"To the devil wid the cause," Mike said; " the cause doesn't
trouble me one way or the other. I don't care a brass
farthing whether Philip or Charles reigns over the Spaniards.
It is not a nice job they will be taking on, any way, and not
worth a drop of Irish blood. Well, if your honour should have
the bad fortune to be hit I shall either carry you off, though
there's not a breath in your body, or else go down with you."
As there was no doubt that Mike meant what he said,
Desmond did not press the matter further. The next day
they set out at daybreak, and in two hours were mounting
the slope of the sierra. There were no signs of any men
being about until they reached a point where the road ran
between steep hills.
"There they are," Desmond exclaimed, reining in his horse;
"there are some thirty or forty of them on the road. Now,
my men, we will ride forward to those boulders you see a hun-
dred yards this side of them, and then we will dismount and
give them a volley. If you keep that up it will soon be too hot
for them to remain on the road, while we, sheltered behind the
rocks, will be safe from their shot. It is certain that your
guns will carry farther and shoot straighter than theirs, as the
Spanish powder is so much inferior to the French."
Accordingly they rode forward at a canter to the heap of
boulders, then suddenly left the road, dismounted, and took
cover among the rocks.
"Take steady aim, men," Desmond said, "then you can
hardly miss hitting some of them, standing close together as
they do."
The bandits had waited undecided at the sudden disap-
pearance of those whom they hnd regarded as a certain
pray, and before they could form any plans five muskets


TREACHERY
281
cracked out, but they had no seed to draw their swords, for
the rush of the horses struck such a panic into the Spaniards
that they sprang from the road, leaving the path clear, and
the party thundered past them without a check.
"Is anyone wounded?" Desmond asked, when they had
passed beyond gun-shot of their assailants.
"I have a ball in my shoulder, Major," one of the troopers
said; the rest were silent.
"Well, we have been fortunate," Desmond said. "I will
see to your wound, my man, when we get a little farther. If
those fellows had not been so scared with our sudden charge
that they fired almost at random, we might have lost half our
number."
They stopped half a mile farther, and Desmond examined
the trooper's arm. The ball has gone through the flesh," he
said, "without touching the bone, so you will soon have the
use of it again." He bound the wound tightly up with the
soldier's sash, and then made with his own a sling.
"You may as well put the other arm in your jacket," he
said, " and I will tie it round your neck, the air is cold upon
the hills."
"We did that well, sir," the sergeant said, as they rode
on again. "If you had not thought of taking shelter, and
shaking them up, we should all have been shot down before
we reached them. Is there any chance of another attack, sir?"
"None at all. I should think a messenger was sent to them
yesterday telling them our strength, and no doubt they
thought that with sixty men they would be certain to over-
power us. That is probably the whole of the band, and in any
case, as they would not imagine that we could pass them, they
are not likely to have set another ambush."
They slept that night at Almarez, made a short journey
to Oropesa, and a long one on the following day to Toledo,


282
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
where Desmond dismissed his escort with a handsome reward
for their services, and upon the next afternoon rode with
Mike into Madrid. The Duke of Orleans looked astonished
when he entered the room.
"What! back already, Major Kennedy? Surely you cannot
have carried out all the work that I entrusted to you?"
"By no means, Your Royal Highness; but what I did carry
out was so important that I deemed it my duty to ride back
at once to acquaint you with what I have discovered. There
is the report, sir."
The duke took it. "It is a bulky one," he said. "Tell me
its purport in as few words as possible."
"I have discovered, sir, that the report sent by the governor
of the supply of provisions and stores in Badajos is altogether
inaccurate, that frauds to an enormous extent have been
perpetrated, that the supply of powder and cartridges is less
by two-thirds than was represented, and that similar deficien-
cies exist in every department."
"This is indeed serious," the duke said. "The possession
of Badajos is essential to us. It blocks the way to an enemy's
advance, and indeed they can scarce move forward until it
is captured. Now, tell me more about it; or no, I will read
your report, and then question you concerning it."
A heavy frown settled on the duke's brow as he perused
the document. "Infamous!" he exclaimed, when he had
finished. "And you say that two attempts were made to
murder you that night, and that the Spanish colonel who gave
you so much assistance was assassinated, and the commis-
saries shot the next morning? It shows how anxious the gov-
ernor was to remove from his path all those who could incul-
pate him. And how did you manage to get out of the toils?
for it was clearly of no use killing the minor witnesses and
allowing you to ride here to report the facts."


TREACHEEY
283
"I saw that, sir; and as I learned that eight or ten troopers
had been sent off late the night before, I concluded that the
road would be sure to be beset, for doubtless some of the
contractors would feel it as essential as the governor did,
that my mouth should be silenced and my report suppressed.
I therefore started early. Keeping by by-roads, we were not
molested until we had nearly reached the summit of the sierra,
when we found a party of some sixty men barring the road.
We had a fight with them, and succeeded in getting through
with no further damage than a ball through the arm of one
of my escort, and that fortunately was only a flesh-wound."
"But tell me how it was that so small a party escaped so
easily?"
Desmond then recounted the incidents of the fight.
"Admirably contrived, sir!" the duke said warmly, excel-
lent generalship! You first attack their centre and drive
them off the road, then you compel them to weaken themselves
by throwing out flanking parties. You keep these out of
musket shot, and then charge on their weakened centre after
drawing their fire. I am not surprised that with such gen-
eralship you got off almost scatheless. And now, sir, I must
ask you to come with me to the king; the matter is too se-
rious for a moment's delay. I must lay the whole case be-
fore His Majesty."
Leaving Desmond in the ante-chamber, he went in to the
king, read the full report to him, and added the details he had
heard from Desmond.
"I have met with many bad cases of Spanish corruption
and peculation," the king said, when he had finished, "but
this is by far the worst. Steps must be taken instantly to
secure the governor, arrest the contractors, and fill up the
magazines. What do you propose?"
"T think, sir, that if we send forward at once a regiment of


284
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
French soldiers from Toledo, accompanied by Colonel Crof-
ton's regiment of dragoons, there is no likelihood that any
resistance will be offered,—indeed I should imagine that the
governor will have taken to flight as soon as he learns that
his plans for the assassination of Major Kennedy have
failed."
"So I should think," the king said; "and certainly he will
have warned his accomplices, the contractors, and probably
by this time they are all on their way either into Andalusia or
to the north. Any that are found shall certainly be hanged.
This young officer of yours must be a wonderfully shrewd
fellow. I should like to question him as to how he dis-
covered these frauds."
Desmond was called in.
"This is Major Kennedy, Your Majesty," the duke said.
"That is his temporary rank, which I bestowed upon him in
order to add weight to his mission."
"I have noticed him before, cousin," Philip said, "when I
had gone to your quarters, and wondered to see so young a
man in the uniform of a captain. Now, sir, will you give me
an account of how you discovered these frauds?"
Desmond then related how he had caused the piles of barrels
to be opened out so that he could examine those next to the
wall as well as those in front, and how he had similarly ex-
amined the other stores.
"Very good indeed, sir," the king said. "Most officers
would have contented themselves with at most counting the
number of barrels and sacks, and that you should have so
thoroughly investigated the matter shows both zeal and
shrewdness."
"He has shown that on various occasions," the duke said,
"as you may judge from the promotion that he has received.
As you see by the loss of his hand he has suffered as well as


TREACHERY
285
fought on behalf of France. When Your Majesty is at lei-
sure I will some evening relate to you a story which I heard
from the king himself, of the manner in which he twice res-
cued a fair damsel from an evil-minded noble who carried
her off."
"I shall hear it with pleasure, cousin. You say he holds
only temporary rank. I think that after the signal service
he has rendered it should be made substantial."
"I certainly intend to make it so," the duke said.
"Pardon, sir," Desmond said, "but while thanking you for
your kindness I would beg to be allowed to remain a captain.
Already I have obtained more promotion than others have
done after many years of good service, and I should regret
very much passing over the heads of so many of my old com-
panions."
"It is the first time that I have had promotion declined,"
the duke said, smiling; "however, for the present at least I"
will let the matter remain so."
With an expression of warm thanks Desmond retired.
"We must lose no time over this matter," the king said;
"for aught we know this scoundrel may be in communication
with the enemy, and may be prepared to open the gates of the
fortress at the first summons."
"I will act at once," the duke replied. "I will this evening
send orders to Toledo for a regiment to march at nine
o'clock to-morrow morning, and if you will send a similar or-
der to Colonel Crofton, he will overtake the infantry before
they get to Almarez."
"I will do so, and will also send with them three field-
officers with full power to arrest, try, and execute all those
who have taken part in this treacherous fraud."
On the duke leaving the king, Desmond joined him in the
ante-chamber, and as they walked towards the French head-


286
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
quarters, said: "I hope, sir, that you will permit me to start
to-morrow with any force you may be sending, as I wish to
carry out the rest of the mission with which you en-
trusted me."
"By all means do so if you wish it," the duke said. "Col-
onel Crofton's regiment will start at nine o'clock to-morrow
morning, and you may accompany it. On the road it will
overtake one of our regiments from Toledo."
CHAPTER XVI
CAPTURED
J HAVE a job for you, Mike."
"What is it, your honour?"
"I want you to take off all the marks of a field-officer from
my clothes. I am going to be a captain again."
Mike looked with surprise at his master. "Well, your
honour, it is ungrateful bastes they must be. Sure I thought
that the least they could do was to make you a full major,
though if they had made you a colonel it would be no more
than you deserve."
"I was offered the majority, Mike, but I declined it. It
would be absurd at my age to have such a rank, and I should
be ashamed to look officers of our brigade, who have done nigh
twenty years of good service and are still only captains, in
the face. I would much rather remain as I am."
"Well, it may be you are right, sir, but it is disappointed
I am entirely."
"You will get over it, Mike," Desmond laughed.
"That may be," Mike said doubtfully, "but I should have
felt mighty proud of being a colonel's servant."


CAPTURED
287
"I don't suppose you will ever be that. Mike. You know
that after the last war was over, several of the Irish regi-
ments were disbanded, and no doubt it will be the same when
this war is finished, so you could not count upon seeing me a
colonel, at any rate not for another twenty years."
"Ah, your honour, I hope we shall be back in old Ireland
years before that!"
"I hope so too, Mike. I have only been out here for two
years, and yet I am beginning to feel that I should like a
quieter life. No doubt the loss of my hand has something
to do with that, but I would give up willingly all chance of
ever becoming a colonel if I could but settle down in the old
country, though I fear there is very little chance of that."
"But sure there may be fighting there too, your honour,"
Mike said; " and if King James goes across the water there is
sure to be divarsion that way."
"I hope not, Mike. It is not that I do not feel as loyal as
ever to the cause of the Stuarts, but if they cannot come to
their own without Ireland being again deluged with blood, I
would rather they would stay away. Twice Ireland has suf-
fered for the Stuarts: first, when Cromwell came over, car-
rying fire and sword through the land, and divided half the
country among his followers; next, when Dutch William did
the same. I am loyal to the Stuarts, as I said, but I am
still more loyal to Ireland, and would rather that King
James remained all his life at St. Germain than that those
scenes should ever come again."
"That's true for you, sir; and when I come to think of it,
I should be just as easy and comfortable in a snug little cot
in Killamey, which is my county, whether King James or
Queen Anne was ruling it in England."
"Quite so, Mike; and if I had, as you say, a snug little
cot to go to, and an income to live comfortably in it, and no


288
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
fear of being hauled off to prison and hanged for joining the
brigade, I should not be sorry to settle down. We start back
for Badajos to-morrow morning."
"Faith, your honour, it has been so hard getting away
from there that I should not have thought you wished to put
your foot inside the place again. You might not be so lucky
in getting off next time."
"We are going in a different way, Mike. Colonel Crofton's
regiment of Irish dragoons is going with us, and a French
infantry regiment from Toledo."
"Then I am well content to go back, your honour, and I
hope we shall see that murthering governor hung."
"I think you have a good chance of seeing that, Mike,
if he has not taken himself off before we arrive there, which
I think he is pretty sure to do directly he hears we have got
through safely, for he will know that as soon as my report is
handed in he is a lost man."
"Bad cess to him! At any rate I hope I shall light upon
him some day, sir, and pay him out for sending those fellows
to kill you at night, and to hinder us in the hills. As to his
cheating the Spaniards, that is their business, and they can
reckon with him for it; but I should like to pay our own debt
myself."
"I don't suppose there is much chance of your having an
opportunity of doing that."
"Then why are we going back, your, honour?"
"To carry out my original orders, Mike,—survey the roads,
and passes, and bridges. The duke cannot rely upon Span-
ish testimony in these matters, and it is most important that
we should ascertain accurately how good are the roads by
which he would advance with the army into Portugal, or
where best to oppose the enemy if they cross the Guadiana."
"I am glad to hear you say so, sir, for I was afraid that


CAPTURED
289
we were going to have a long stay here again, and I would
rather be on horseback, riding all over the country, than
walking up and down these streets till my feet fairly ache."
"That is my opinion too, Mike. We have had a good
many rides with despatches, but between times it is stupid
work hanging about the general's quarters waiting for or-
ders."
The next morning Desmond joined Colonel Crofton's regi-
ment as it was on the point of starting from the barracks. It
was in the service of Spain, and had taken a brilliant part
in several engagements. Desmond was acquainted with the
colonel and his officers.
"Good-morning, Kennedy!" Crof ton said, as he rode up
and saluted him. "I had a note from the Duke of Orleans
last night saying 'you were going on special service, and
would travel with us as far as Badajos. King Philip sent for
me later on and himself gave me instructions, besides hand-
ing me the written orders. It seems you have discovered that
the governor is mixed up with a lot of contractors in swin-
dling the state by supplying earth instead of powder
and flour."
"So far as the governor goes, Colonel, there is no absolute
proof. I have not the smallest doubt that he was the prime
mover in the matter, and that the commissaries only re-
ceived a small portion of the bribes paid to him. It is hardly
possible that every one of them should have betrayed his
trust unless sure of the governor's protection. I cannot
prove that he had all these men shot in order to silence them,
employed men to assassinate Colonel Mendez, or set men to
murder me in my hotel and afterwards to intercept us in
crossing the sierra. Still, I have no shadow of doubt in my
mind that it was so.
"However, I do not think you will find him at Badajos.
(MM8) B


290
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
No doubt as soon as he heard I had got safely down into the
valley of the Tagus he made off. There is just a possibil-
ity that the contractors, knowing that their lives will be for-
feited by the discovery of the frauds, might at once have sent
in supplies of powder, flour, and other things, to take the place
of the casks and sacks of earth; in which case he would prob-
ably deny the truth of my statement altogether, and declare
that I had simply invented it in order to do credit to myself;
but I hardly think that possible. In the first place, there are
the soldiers both of my escort and of Colonel Mendez, who as-
sisted in the work of examination, besides which more than
half the commissaries escaped while this was taking place,
and on an offer of pardon would no doubt gladly come forward
and give evidence, especially as the execution of their com-
rades will have shown them that the governor is determined
to throw them over."
"Yes; I don't suppose we shall find the arch-scoundrel
there, unless indeed he can rely upon the support of his gar-
rison, in which case he may have ridden to Portugal offer-
ing to surrender the place at once to them, and will close his
gates against us."
"I don't think there is any chance of that, Colonel. In
the short time during which I was there I was able to see
that the troops were deeply discontented. They were almost
in rags, and the landlord of the inn told me that they were
kept on the scantiest rations, and those of a very inferior
kind. So I do not think for a moment he could trust them
to act against a royal force."
Desmond's anticipation proved to be correct. As they
descended into the valley of the Guadiana they met an offi-
cer of the garrison, who was bearing a despatch from the
senior military officer saying that the governor and his family
had suddenly left without issuing any orders, and as he had


CAPTURED
291
taken all his portable property with him it was supposed
that he did not intend to return. Under these circum-
stances he wrote to ask for orders. Colonel Crofton sent
him back with instructions to the colonel commanding the
troops that he was coming with a regiment of dragoons and
one of infantry, and had full authority from the king to take
all measures that seemed to him desirable. Accordingly,
when they arrived at Badajos they were met at the gate by
the colonel commanding the troops, and a party of his officers.
"I have the king's authority," Colonel Crofton said to him,
"to act as temporary governor until another may be appointed
I do not know whether you are aware of the circum-
stances that led to the flight of Don Juan de Munos?"
"No, sir, we have heard nothing. Rumours were current
among the men that some strange discoveries were made when
the stores were examined, but beyond that I know nothing.
In fact, at the time, the assassination of Colonel Mendez of
the artillery created such an excitement that nothing else
was spoken of."
"Well, Colonel, if you will accompany me to the governor's
house I will enter into the matter fully with you. You may
well believe that it is serious, as I have been despatched here
with my regiment, and with one of French infantry, for both
of whom quarters must be found at once."
"There is plenty of room, sir. The barracks will contain
ten thousand men, and at present we have but four thousand
here."
"Then I beg, Colonel, that instead of coming at once to my
quarters, you will tell off officers to conduct the troops to the
most convenient of the buildings now empty. After that
I shall be glad to see you and the commanding officers of the
other regiments."
"You will, of course, take up your quarters at the gov-


202
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
ernor's house, Captain Kennedy," he went on, as he rode for-
ward. "As you are going to be employed in surveying du-
ties, you will naturally be a good deal away. But your pres-
ence here will be absolutely necessary as a witness against
any of these rascally contractors we can lay our hands
on."
When the four colonels arrived, after seeing that the troops
were housed, Colonel Crofton obtained from them the names
and addresses of the various contractors, and half an hour
later parties of the cavalry regiment in garrison were
despatched under officers with orders to arrest and bring
them into Badajos. During the meal Colonel Crofton ex-
plained to the four colonels the discovery of the frauds,
which naturally excited the greatest indignation among them.
He then requested them and Desmond to accompany him to
the stores. This they did, after sending to the barracks for
a party of fifty men for fatigue duty. The gaps made dur-
ing Desmond's explorations had been carefully filled up
again, but upon fresh openings being made his reports were
fully borne out. Some hours were spent at the central mag-
azine, and orders given that the other magazines should be
opened and examined on the following day.
Desmond did not join in this search, but started early with
Mike to carry out his own mission. He had been furnished with
reports sent in by the provincial and local juntas as to the
state of the roads, but, as he had expected, he soon found
these to be grossly inaccurate. The roads marked as excel-
lent and fit for the passage of artillery and trains were found
to be mere bridle roads; others marked as high-roads were al-
most impassable lanes. The bridges across the streams were
for the most part in such a bad condition as to be unsafe for
a country cart and, until repaired, impossible for the pas-
sage of artillery. He carefully noted all the points at which


CAPTURED
203
work was required to render them in any degree practicable
for the passage of troops, and reported fully to Colonel
Crofton. The latter, who was provided with full authority,
despatched the greater portion of his troops with a large num-
ber of peasants with materials to fill up the deep ruts, re-
pair the bridges, and make the roads as far as possible fit
for the passage of an army. In ten days Desmond had sur-
veyed all the roads down both the valley of the Ouadiana and
that of the Tagus, and had sent off his report to Madrid, to-
gether with his observations as to the points at which a de-
fensive position could, in his opinion, be best taken up.
Having done this, he prepared to undertake the second part
of his mission, and to investigate the roads on the Portu-
guese side of the frontier.
"Now we shall have to keep our eyes open, Mike," he said.
"So far as we have heard there are no bodies of the enemy's
troops anywhere in this neighbourhood, but there is a bitter
enmity between the Spanish and Portuguese, and we shall be
liable to be attacked by the peasants."
"Are we to ride in our uniforms, your honour?"
"Certainly we are, Mike. If we are captured in uniform
we should be dealt with as prisoners of war and have a right
to fair treatment. If we are taken in disguise we shall be
shot as spies."
"Faith, your honour, the alternative is not a pleasant one.
If we go as civilians we may be shot as spies; if we go in uni-
form we may be murdered by the peasants."
"That is so, Mike. But, you see, we are not likely to fall
into the hands of the peasants. We are both well mounted,
and the peasants will be on foot, and a great proportion of
them unarmed, so that beyond the chance of being hit by a
ball the risk is not great."
Accordingly on the following day they rode out, and for


294
IN THE HUSH BRIGADE
nearly a week examined the lines of route across the frontier.
They followed the roads between the foot of the mountains
and the frontier as far as Portalegre, but avoided the towns
of Campo Mayor and Arronches, crossed the hills and struck
upwards by the bank of the Zarina to Frontiera, and thence
west as far as Lavre. They met with no interference by such
peasants as they saw working in the fields, or by those in the
small villages through which they passed, these supposing tho
uniforms to be those of English or Dutch officers.- They
found that the roads were fully as bad as those of Spain,
and would present great difficulty to any army with artillery
and a long train of waggons. In one of the places they heard
from a peasant with whom they conversed that there was an-
other pass over the mountains from Elvas. Of course the
man spoke in Portuguese, but the language sufficiently re-
sembled Spanish for Desmond to understand its meaning.
"We must investigate that road, Mike, for if it is prac-
ticable it would be the most direct for an army coming from
Lisbon. Of course we shall have to make a wide circle round
Elvas, as there is sure to be a strong garrison there, and any
soldiers riding about the country would be certain to know
that our uniform was French. When we have done that
road we shall have finished our work."
Accordingly they passed round the fortress at a distance,
and presently came upon the road. It showed signs of hav-
ing lately been repaired in some parts, but these were so badly
clone that They increased rather than diminished the diffi-
culties it presented to the passage of troops. They had rid-
den some ten miles, and were already among the mountains,
when they dismounted to rest their horses and to eat the food
they carried with them. Suddenly, looking down the road
behind them, they saw a squadron of cavalry coming along.
"This is awkward, Mike. There is nothing for it now but to


CAPTURED
295
ride on, and when we have reached the foot of the mountains
on the other side, strike across country until we come upon
the road running direct to Badajos. They are a good two
miles behind us, so we need not blow our horses."
Mounting, they proceeded at a trot up the road. As far as
they could see, the cavalry behind them did not quicken their
pace, which showed that they were on some ordinary duty
and not, as Desmond at first supposed, in pursuit of them,
some peasant having perhaps taken word that an officer and
soldier in strange uniform had been seen riding round the
town. They therefore took matters quietly, and indeed some-
times the road was so steep that it would have been impossi-
ble for the horses to go beyond a quick walk. Suddenly on
reaching the crest of the rise they saw at a distance of a hun-
dred yards ahead of them a party of officers, followed by an
escort of dragoons.
"We are caught this time, Mike!" Desmond exclaimed;
"escape is impossible. I will ride straight up and surrender.
Fortunately they are English uniforms, so we are certain to
get fair treatment, which we could not be sure of had they
been Portuguese." So saying he rode forward at a trot. The
party had drawn rein at his approach, and he rode up to one
who was evidently a general officer.
"Sir, I surrender as a prisoner of war. My name is
Kennedy, and I am a captain on the staff of the Duke of
Orleans."
"And what are you doing here, sir?"
"I am surveying the road, General, by which the allied
army is likely to advance. Our information on that score is
very defective, and I believe the duke wishes to ascertain
from my report the state of the roads by which the advance
would most probably be made."
The general's question had bern in French, and he replied


29C
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
in the same language. "You do not bear a French name, sir,"
the general said.
"No, sir, I am an Irishman," Kennedy replied in English.
"I belonged, before I received a staff appointment, to one of
the regiments of the Irish Brigade."
"You are a daring fellow thus to venture so far across the
frontier."
"I simply obeyed my orders, sir; and had I been ordered
to reconnoitre Lisbon I should have attempted to do so."
"Well, sir: I shall have an opportunity of talking to you
later on. I, as you see, am engaged in precisely the same
work as you are, namely, in ascertaining for myself the state
of the roads across these mountains."
"Then, General," Desmond said with a smile, "I should
say that your investigations are hardly satisfactory."
The general also smiled. "Not so much so as I could
wish," he said "And now, may I ask why, seeing that you
are well mounted, you did not turn and ride for it when you
first perceived us?"
"The reason is simple, General. A squadron of cavalry
were coming up behind me and there was evidently no possi-
bility of escape."
"Ah! no doubt they were sent out to meet me. Well, sir,
if you will give me your word not to attempt to escape, you
can retain your sword and ride with us."
"I give my parole, sir, with many thanks for your
courtesy."
"And now, Captain Kennedy," the other went on, "it is
probable that you have about you the result of your inves-
nations along these roads, which I must request you to hand
. . v e. ns it may be as useful to me as it would have been to
the Duke of Orleans, and may save me a good deal of trouble."
Desmond took out the note-book in which he had each day


298
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
should have turned and charged the squadron behind us„
preferring very much to be killed fighting than to be hanged
or shot like a dog."
In a few minutes they met the squadron of cavalry, who
had, as the general supposed, been sent out by the Governor
of Elvas to meet him. Half of these now took their place in
front, and the remainder, drawing aside to let the party pass,
fell in behind. Mike had, without orders, fallen in with the
earl's escort, and more than once Desmond heard his laugh as
he chatted with the troopers. On arriving at Elvas the gen-
eral directed his aides-de-camp to obtain a room for Des-
mond in the house in which they were quartered, and as no
one attended to him, Mike undertook his usual duties as his
servant. The next morning one of the aides-de-camp came
in and said, "The general wishes to speak to you, Captain
Kennedy."
On entering the general's apartment the earl asked him
to take a seat. "I could not see you yesterday evening," he
began, "as I was learning from the Governor the state of the
stores here. I should like to have a talk with you. May
I ask you, in the first place, how you have so early attained
the rank of captain? My aide-de-camp tells me that you
said you had attracted the notice of the King of France. It
must have been by some singular action, and as I have an
hour to spare before I ride out, I shall be glad if you can tell
me some particulars about yourself, unless, indeed, they are
of a private nature."
"Not at all, sir; the story is generally known to members
of the court of Versailles, and indeed to all Paris;" and he
then related to the earl the story of his release of Anne de
Pointdexter from her imprisonment, the journey to the south,
the attack on the party by the Vicomte de Tulle, and her sec-
ond rescue from him.


CAPTURED
290
"Thank you, sir," the general said when he had concluded.
"I am not surprised that, after so romantic an adventure, the
Xing of France took notice of an officer who had shown such
courage and intelligence. You see, sir, that you and I are
to a certain extent in a similar position. From motives of re-
ligion principally, you Irish have left your country and are
fighting for a foreign monarch. I, as you are doubtless
aware, belong to a French Huguenot family, and, being forced
to leave France by the severe edicts, entered the service of
Holland and followed the fortunes of King William, and am
now fighting against the troops of the country of my birth.
In other respects there is a similarity. We have both lost
a hand in the service of our adopted countries; I at the siege
of Badajos, and you at—?"
"Oudenarde, sir."
"I have been thinking it over," the general went on; "I
might, of course, send you to Lisbon as a prisoner, but one
extra prisoner would not largely benefit my government.
You have not been taken in action. Your papers have saved
me an immense deal of trouble, for we are no more able to
rely upon the information given by the Portuguese than, I
should think the Duke of Orleans can upon that of the Span-
iards. Therefore, sir, I think that in the present case I can
make an exception to the rule. In an hour I shall mount and
ride down the road to Badajos, and I shall there restore your
liberty to you and permit you to recross the frontier. It
would be a thousand pities that so young and gallant an offi-
cer should waste perhaps some years of his life in an English
prison, for the number of prisoners taken in Flanders is so
great that it is impossible for the French to find officers to
exchange for them. You will understand that, dealing with
allies so jealous and susceptible as the Portuguese, I can
hardly take the step of releasing you, as it would be at once


300
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
rumoured that I had been in communication with a French
officer, doubtless from some sinister motive.
"I think, Captain Kennedy, that it would be as well," he
said with a smile, "that you should withdraw your parole,
and do so before we start, in the presence of the officers of
my staff. Of course you must be placed under a very strict
guard, and although so near the frontier, you will find it
very difficult to escape; still, such things are managed."
"I thank you most deeply, sir," Desmond said, understand-
ing the tone in which the earl spoke, "and I shall ever re-
tain a deep feeling of gratitude for your generosity."
When the party assembled in readiness to mount, Desmond
walked up to the earl and said in a tone that could be heard
by the officers round:
"Sir, I have changed my mind, and beg to be allowed to
withdraw my parole."
"You are at liberty to do so, Captain Kennedy; but never-
theless I shall take you with us to-day. I shall not, of course,
ask you to give any information as to matters on the other
side of the frontier, but there are points on which you could
inform me without detriment to your friends."
"That I shall be happy to do, sir."
The earl called up four troopers. "You will place this
officer and his servant between you," he said, "and keep a
vigilant look-out upon their movements."
Desmond had not even told Mike of the conversation with
the earl, thinking it better that he should remain in ignorance
that this escape was connived at by an English general, and
his follower was therefore greatly astonished when he heard
that his master had withdrawn his parole, and that they were
henceforth to be strictly guarded. The party rode until they
reached a rise from which they could obtain a view of Bada-
jos and of the country extending far up the valley of the


CAPTURED
301
Guadiana. The ground in front of them sloped gradually.
The earl took his place with two or three officers of his staff
fifty yards in front of the rest, and, dismounting, examined
Badajos with his telescope. Then he asked one of his aides-
de-camp to bring Captain Kennedy to him. "You may as
well bring his servant too," he added; " no doubt he knows the
country as well as his master does, and may not be so unwill-
ing to answer questions."
The order was carried out, and Desmond and Mike rode up
with the aide-de-camp, followed closely by the four troopers.
The earl at once began to question Desmond as to the names
of the villages visible up the valley. He had remounted now,
but his staff, who had dismounted when he did, remained on
their feet, as it was evident that he had no intention of mov-
ing forward for some time. While they were speaking, the
earl, accompanied by Desmond, rode forward some twenty
yards, as if to obtain a better view. Mike had followed him,
but the four troopers remained behind the group of officers,
having no orders to follow the general so closely.
"This is good ground for galloping, Captain Kennedy,"
the earl said quietly. "You are within two miles of Ba-
dajos."
"Thank you deeply, sir. Now, Mike, ride for it I" and
spurring his horse, he dashed off at a headlong gallop. There
was a shout of surprise, the officers of the staff ran to their
horses, which were being held by the orderlies, and the four
troopers at once galloped forward, snatching their carbines
from the slings.
"Do not fire," the earl shouted as they passed; "take them
alive."
As the officers came up, the general signalled to them to stop.
"Don't go farther, gentlemen," he said, "the troopers will
doubtless overtake them; but for aught we know, there may


302
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
be a Spanish force in the village just on the other side of
the frontier, and, instead of capturing two prisoners, you
might be taken or shot yourself, and I am not disposed to lose
any of my staff just as we are about to commence operations
in earnest."
Desmond looked back. He saw that only the four dragoons
were following.
"They will not overtake us, Mike," he said, " our horses are
certainly better than theirs." Indeed they had increased their
lead fast; a few minutes later they heard a trumpet-call in
their rear, and their pursuers at once checked their horses and
rode back in answer to the recall.
"Tare an' ages," Mike exclaimed, "but that was nately
managed. Who would have thought that they would have let
us give them the slip so easily!"
"Well, Mike—but this you must never mention to a soul—
the earl gave us this chance of escape, I believe. He had, you
know, a long talk with me, and said that they had so many
French officers captured in Flanders that one more or less
would make little difference. He had asked about my ad-
ventures, and seemed much interested in them, and remarked
that our positions were somewhat similar, both being exiles
on account of our religion, and so serving in foreign armies
against our own countrymen. At any rate it was on his
suggestion that I withdrew my parole not to attempt to
escape."
"Then he is a rale gintleman, sir, and mighty obliged I
feel to him, for I have had enough of English prisons, though
indeed it was only three or four days that I stopped at
Harwich."
The party on the hill had watched the pursuit, until the earl
said, " Well, gentlemen, I fancy he has slipped from our hands.
T admit that I am hardly sorry, for he was a very fine young


CAPTURED
303
fellow, and it would have been a pity for him to be spending
perhaps some years of the best part of his life in prison.
Captain Chetwynde, will you order the trumpeter to sound
the recall? They are leaving our men behind fast. It is no
use losing four troopers as well as two prisoners."
More than one quiet smile was exchanged between the
English officers, for from the tone in which the earl spoke they
had no doubt that he was by no means sorry at Desmond's
escape, and that possibly he had even taken him forward
with him to afford him a chance of making it. They had
indeed been a little surprised that when Desmond with-
drew his parole the earl had not ordered him into strict
confinement, instead of taking him with him on his recon-
naissance.
The pursuit over, Desmond rode on at a canter to Badajos,
and reported to Colonel Crofton that he had been taken
prisoner but had managed to effect his escape as he was but
carelessly guarded.
"I shall now, sir, return to Madrid. I have completed the
work I was told to carry out, and shall finish writing up my
report this afternoon, and start to-morrow morning."
"I congratulate you on your escape. The Portuguese are
not very particular, and might, as likely as not, have paid
small regard to the fact that you were in uniform."
"Fortunately, sir, it was not by them that I was captured,
but by a small party of English dragoons, who were, I fancy,
like myself, investigating the state of the roads."
Desmond had not been called upon to give evidence before
the commission of enquiry, it being found that all the
contractors had left their homes a week before the troops
arrived at Badajos, taking all portable property with them.
Some had apparently gone to Andalusia, while others had
made for Catalonia. All had unquestionably made a consider-


304
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
able sum of money by their frauds, and would take good care
not to fall into the hands of the French.
"They will never be able to return here," Desmond re-
marked to Colonel Crofton.
The latter smiled. "You do not know these people yet,
Captain Kennedy, or you would not say so. Some of these
fellows are certainly among the richest men in the province,
and we may be quite sure that in a very short time, when the
affair has blown over, they will, partly by influence and more
by bribery, obtain from the central junta an order that no
proceedings shall be taken against them. Anything can be
done with money in Spain. There are many upright and
honourable Spaniards, but very few of them take any part in
public affairs, and would not associate with such men as those
who are in the ascendant in all the provincial juntas and
even in the central body in Madrid. In France there is
distress enough, and no doubt the men who farm the taxes
are no more scrupulous than they are in Spain, but there
is not the same general corruption, and the French nobility,
haughty and despotic to their tenants as they may be, are not
corrupt, and would scorn to take a bribe. Now that there is
a French king on the throne here there may be, when matters
have settled down, some improvement, hut it will be a long
time indeed before the nation can be regenerated, and even
the king will soon find that, if he is to reign peaceably, he
must not interfere too violently with methods that are so
common that they have come to be accepted as inevitable even
by the people who suffer by them. I can assure you that I
myself have been many times approached by men who supply
forage and other things to the regiment, and when I have in-
dignantly refused to entertain any proposals whatever, they
have not been at all abashed, but have said boldly that it was
the general custom. I do not believe tboy thought any the


CAPTURED
305
better of me for refusing even to listen to their offersl but
regarded me as a sort of Don Quixote with ridiculously ex-
aggerated ideas of honour."
On the morning following his return to Badajos Desmond
started on his way to Madrid. Although this time he had
no apprehension whatever of a planned attack, he thought it
safer and better to travel north from Badajos and skirt the
foot of the sierras until he reached the banks of the Tagus,
where there was a strong garrison in each of the towns, and
the country was in consequence free from the Incursions of
bands from the hills. The journey passed without an inci-
dent, and on reaching Madrid and presenting his report he
received high commendation from the Duke of Orleans, and
spent a long day with the general's staff explaining his re-
port and going into details as to the nature of the roads, the
repairs necessary, and the positions which were in his opinion
most suitable for battle.
On the following day the members of the staff were all
summoned to meet him by the Duke of Orleans, who informed
them that he had received a sudden summons to return to
Paris, and that Marshal de Bay would in his absence be
in command of the French troops. The announcement came
as a great surprise to Desmond, but was not unexpected by
the other officers. During the winter the King of France had
been engaged in efforts to bring about a general peace, and
had offered terms that showed he was ready to make any
sacrifices to procure it. The allies, on the contrary, were bent
upon continuing the war. The victory of Oudenarde, the
capture of Lille, Namur, and other fortresses, opened the way
to Paris, and knowing the general distress that prevailed in
France, they raised their demands higher and higher as they
perceived the anxiety of Louis for peace.
One of the obstacles to this was the situation in Spain,
(HH8) T


306
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
and it was reported that Louis was ready to yield on this
point also, and not only consent to the cession of the
Spanish dominion in Spain, but to his grandson Philip sur-
rendering the crown to the Archduke Charles, and that ere
long the French troops would be withdrawn altogether. While
during the month that had elapsed since Desmond first left
Madrid these rumours had increased in strength, it was
known that couriers were constantly passing to and fro be-
tween Madrid and Versailles with private communications
between Louis and Philip, and there was great excitement
in Madrid at the rumour of this desertion of their king by
France. The rumours were indeed correct. The king had
informed Philip that, great as was the affection he bore for
him, the state of France, which was necessarily his chief -care,
would compel him ere long to recall his troops from Spain.
Philip had entreated him not to desert him, and declared
that in any case he would remain in Spain, confiding in the
support of the people who had selected him as their monarch.
At present, however, the communications were proceeding,
and nothing definite had been arranged. The whole of the
staff was to remain with Marshal de Bay in the same position
as they had held under the duke, and, except for the depar-
ture of the prince, matters went on as before.
CHAPTER XVn
AN OLD FRIEND
rjUTE change of command had been effected so suddenly that
Desmond had not been able to make up his mind to
request the Duke of Orleans, to whom he had been attached
personally rather than to the French army in Spain, to allow


308
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"It was a stupid mistake of mine," the head of the staff
said, "in sending you on detached duty. I forgot at the
moment, when I nominated you, that your knowledge of the
locality would be invaluable to us. I only thought of it
yesterday when, on the marshal asking for some information
on this matter, I pulled out your report. He examined it
and said, 'This is very complete and valuable, Colonel.
Whom is it made by?'
"' By an officer of your staff, sir, Captain Kennedy.'
"'Where is he?'
"' He is coming down with the Toledo column, sir.'
"' Please send for him at once,' he said; 'one of the others
should have been detached for that service. He is just the
man we want here.'
"Accordingly we sent for you, and here you are."
"This is an excellent report of yours, sir," the duke said,
when the colonel introduced Desmond to him. "As we
came down, I noticed that the roads had in many cases been
thoroughly repaired at the points mentioned in your report
as being particularly bad, and the bridges in many places
greatly strengthened. Had it not been for that, I do not
know how I should have got my guns along. And now, sir,
I want to ask you a few questions as to the road on the
other side. By your report I see that you consider the road
through Campo Mayor to be the only one by which an army
could move, and that a large body of workmen must be em-
ployed to make the other road fit for the passage of cannon."
He then asked a number of questions concerning this road.
"I see," he said, "you have marked several places in your
report where an enemy coming down that road could post
themselves strongly, and others which might be defended to
advantage by us."
"Yes, sir; but of course the suitability of those places


310
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"So you were, for the other three of us were all on our
backs."
"But we did not hear of you as among the prisoners, of
whom a list was furnished by Marlborough."
"No; the name of Patrick O'Neil did not appear. I was
shot through the body, and during the night I lay insensible,
but in the morning I opened my eyes and began to think. It
seemed to me that the name was not one that would be likely
to please. In the first place, because it was evident by my age
that I was not one of the Limerick men; in the next place,
because of that little matter of my escape from the jail in
London. I had no fear of being shot. I should be a prisoner
of war, but I should not be likely to be over kindly treated,
and when they exchanged prisoners I should certainly not
be one of those sent back. You see, what with Blenheim and
Ramillies and Oudenarde, they had takers ten of our officers
for every one of their officers captured by us, so I thought
it best to pass as a French officer.
"It was easy to do so, as my French was good enough to
pass anywhere, and, you see, I had on a French staff uniform.
Luckily my horse had been shot at the same time as I was.
He was lying dead beside me and within reach of my arm, so
that I was able to lean over and get my flask from one of the
holsters. I had a terrible thirst on me, and could have drunk
a barrel. As I heard no firing I knew that the fighting was
over, and in two or three hours a party came along with a
stretcher, having a doctor with them. When he saw that my
eyes were open and that I was alive, he examined my wound
and shook his head. 'He is badly hit,' he said,' but you may
as well carry him in.' So they took me into Oudenarde,
which had been turned into a big hospital.
"' You are not to speak,' the doctor said to me before they
lifted me up; 'you must keep yourself perfectly quiet.'


AN OLD FRIEND
311
"When they got me into the hospital they found a hole
behind as well as in front, which I heard one of the doctors
say was a good thing. They dressed the wounds and left me.
I could see by their faces, the next time they came, that they
were surprised to see me alive. One of them said to the
other: 'The bullet must have passed through him without
touching any vital point. He may do yet.' He bent down
and asked me in French what my name was, and I said
'Victor Dubosc, lieutenant'; so they stuck a card with my
name over my bed, and asked me no more questions. I lay
there for six weeks, and then I was well enough to get up
and walk about.
"Three weeks later I went down with some other conva-
lescents to Ostend, and there we were embarked, and taken
to Portsmouth. Then we were put in boats and rowed to
Porchester, which is a place at the end of a sort of lake behind
Portsmouth. There was an old castle there with a mighty
high wall, enclosing a lot of ground, where there were huts—
rows of them—all filled with our prisoners. Some of the huts
were a little better than others, and these were for the use of
officers. A regiment of soldiers was in tents outside the walls,
and a hundred men were always on guard with loaded mus-
kets. I said to myself often and often,' If Kennedy were here
he would soon hit upon some plan for getting away,' but for
the life of me I could not see how it was to be managed. It
was a dull time. I can tell you; the food was bad, and the
cooking was worse. Only a few officers were there, most of
them being sent to some place a long distance inland; but
as we were all wounded I suppose they thought that the loss of
blood would keep us quiet.
"One of the officers, having a little money hidden about
him, bought a pack of cards from an English soldier, and
we passed most of our time playing; but it was poor work,


312
IN THE 1BISH BRIGADE
for we had nothing to play for. At last I said to myself,
'Patrick O'Neil, there must be an end of this or your brain
will go altogether; it is not worth much at the best of times,
or it would have thought of some plan for geting out of this
place before now. At last I hit on a plan; it was a dangerous
one, there was no doubt of that, but as I was desperate I did
not think much of the danger. The worst they could do was
to shoot me, which I suppose is what they would have done.
My idea was to pounce suddenly on one of the sentries, who
kept guard all night, to gag him and tie him up before he
could give the alarm, and then to dress up in his clothes and
take his matchlock, but the difficulty was, what was I to do
next. The soldiers came on duty for twelve hours, coming in
at six in the morning and going out at six in the evening.
"It was clear to me that it could only be done in the dark,
and I had to wait for nearly two months. It was the
beginning of October before it was dark enough at six in
the morning for me to fall in with the others and march out
without being noticed. At last the time came. I stole
out of my hut an hour before the change would be made, and
crept along quietly till I heard a sentry marching up and
down between our huts and those of the soldiers. I had torn
up a blanket into strips, and twisted them together to make
ropes, and with these in one hand and a big piece ready to
shove into his mouth in the other, I stole up close to him, and
when he turned his back to me I jumped upon him. Luckily,
instead of carrying the musket on his shoulder he had it under
his arm, so that I was able to seize the lock with one hand, and
clutch him by the throat with the other. I gripped pretty hard,
and the man in half a minute slipped to the ground. Before
he could recover I had stripped off his coatee and cloak; then
I tied his hands and feet, fastened the gag firmly in his mouth,
and dragged him in between two huts, where he could not be


AN OLD FRIEND
313
found till morning. Then I took off my own coat and threw
it over him, for the night was chilly, and put on his cloak and
shako and took his place.
"In half an hour I heard a tramp of men, and knew the
relief had entered. Then there was a bugle call, and two or
three sentries passed towards the entrance. I ran on too.
When they fell in I managed to get in the last section. Some
sergeants ran down the line counting the men, and reported
that all were present; the gates were opened, and we marched
out. As soon as we got among the tents we fell out, and I
had no difficulty whatever in getting off without being ob-
served. Leaving my musket and shako behind me I went up
a long lane which brought me on to the main road, crossed
that, climbed a hill beyond, and came down into a wooded
country. At the first cottage I came to I stopped. A man and
woman came out on my knocking; they looked kindly and
good-tempered, and I told them a pitiful story about how I
had been unjustly accused of striking an officer, and had been
sentenced to two hundred lashes, and that I had managed in the
night to cut a slit in the back of the guard-tent and escape.
"As I had been walking along a sudden thought had
struck me. At Oudenarde I was wearing the same boots I
had worn when we were captured together. When we took
the money out, we each left, if you remember, five pieces of
gold in one of our boots, which I had never thought of till that
day, and as I came along I opened the sole and took them out.
It was a perfect godsend, as you may guess. The man and his
wife expressed such sympathy that I did not hesitate to say:
'I want to get rid of my coatee, and of this cloak. The coatee
would be of no use to you, and you had best burn it, but the
cloak, if you alter it, might be useful, or if you cut it up will
make a cover for your bed. I will give you that and a gold
piece—it is a French one I got in the wars, but you can


314
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
change it easily enough when you go into the town marketing
—if you will give me a suit of your clothes.'
"This the man readily consented to do, and the woman
set before me a large bowl of milk and some bread, which
I ate as soon as I had put on a pair of breeches, smock, and
broad hat. Now I felt perfectly safe; they might send news
all over the country of the escape of a French officer, but as
I had never spoken a word of English from the time that
I was taken, no one would suspect a countryman speaking
English to be the man whom they were in search of. After
leaving the cottage I travelled quietly to Rye. I thought
it best to go there, for it was likely that it would be
difficult elsewhere for an unknown man to get a passage to
France, and it strucK me that the man who took us across
before, would carry me over the first time he was going with
despatches. I found him easily enough, and though I was
not dressed quite in the same way as I was when we called
on him before, he recognized me at once.
"' Another job for me?' he asked.
"' Not a special one,' I said. 'I am going across again, but
there is no occasion for you to make a special trip, and indeed
my employer forgot to give me an order upon you. I should
have gone back if I had remembered it, but I thought you
would not mind giving me a passage the next time you sailed
across.'
"As the man remembered that we had made ourselves
pleasant on board, he agreed at once to take me the next time
the boat should be going. I laid out a pound in getting a
coat more suitable tor travelling in France that the peasant's
smock. Then I took a lodging in a small inn. Three days
later a messenger came down with an order for the man to
take him across at once, and as the captain charged me
nothing for my passage I had enough left to pay for my


AN OLD FRIEND
315
place in a diligence, and on arriving in Paris duly reported
myself at the barracks as having returned. My first enquiry
of course was about you and O'Sullivan. I found that he
had never been heard of, but that vou had lost a hand and
had been promoted to a captaincy, had been very ill, and had
gone to the south of France on sick leave.
"After I heard that, I remained for two or three months at
the depot, and then learned that the Duke of Berwick had just
arrived from Dauphiny. I at once went to see him. He told
me he could not put me on his staff again as his numbers were
complete, but would (rive me a letter to the Duke of Orleans
asking him to employ me in that capacity. When I got down
here I found that the duke had left, and that the Marshal de
Bay was in command. On reading Berwick's letter he at once
appointed me as one of his aides-de-camp. You were away, I
found to my great disappointment, and I was sent off into
Catalonia with orders for four battalions to be sent at once
to Badajos. I arrived here yesterdav. in time for the shindy."
"Fortunately, O'Neil. I do not think there is much fear
of another Oudenarde. There is no royal duke here to inter-
fere with our general, and the Portuguese are not to be com-
pared with the Hanoverians and Dutch and the other allies
that fought against us there."
"I hear from the others that you have been occupied in re-
connoitering the countrv."
"Yes, and I was captured, but was fortunately able to give
them the slip."
Desmond did not care to tell even his friend that his escape
was due to the kindness of the British eeneral.
The next morning Desmond was sent off to hurry up a body
of troops which was still some seven or eight marches away.
The news had come that the allied army was in motion, and
would probably concentrate near Portalegre. This seemed to


316
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
show that they intended to invade Spain by Badajos and the
valley of the Guadiana. for had their aim been to advance up
the valley of the Tagus to Madrid they would have marched
towards Montalvao and so on by Alcantara to Almarez. After
two days' hard riding he met the column, which, on receiving
the order from the marshal to hasten forward with all speed,
performed double marches until they arrived at Badajos.
Desmond found that the allies had not wasted their time,
and that their advance guard was already at Campo Mayor.
The Spanish army were posted on the Caya river, a stream
that flowed down from the sierra and fell into the Guadiana
at Badajos.
Their position was a defensive one. The army of the allies
was known to be some twenty-two thousand strong, of whom
some five thousand were cavalry. The Spanish had about
the same strength of cavalry, but were inferior in infantry.
The number of guns also was about equal, both sides having
about forty cannon. On the 7th of May the two armies faced
each other on opposite sides of the river Caya. As neither
party made any movement of advance, Marshal de Bay deter-
mined to force on an engagement, and sent orders to the
cavalry to cross the river and to place themselves on the road
between the enemy and Campo Mayor. The allies suffered,
as the French had done at Oudenarde. by conflicting counsels.
The Earl of Galway was in command of the British and of
two or three Dutch regiments. The Marquis de Frontiera was
in command of the Portuguese, who formed by far the greater
portion of the force, and as soon as the movement was seen on
the other side of the river, he determined to cross and attack
the Spaniards.
The Earl of Galway was strongly of opinion that it would
not be wise to take the offensive, but that the army should
remain in its present position until the intentions of the


318
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
Portuguese horse, wliose cannon had already opened fire.
The Portuguese fell into disorder as soon as they saw the.
long line of horsemen charging down on them like a torrent,
and when it neared them broke and fled. They were soon
overtaken, great numbers were cut down, and the remainder
galloped off, a panic-stricken mob, and did not draw rein
until they reached Campo Mayor. The Spaniards at once
turned the five cannon the fugitives had left behind them
upon the allied infantry, and then, after a few rounds had
been fired, the cavalry charged the British infantry. But
they had now foes of a different metal to reckon with, and al-
through three times the horsemen re-formed their ranks and
hurled themselves against the infantry, they were each time
repulsed with heavy loss. Then, swerving round, they fell on
the Portuguese infantry in the second line, whom they dis-
persed as easily as they had defeated the cavalry.
The Earl of Galway now brought ud the brigade of
Brigadier-General Pierce, which consisted of the two British
regiments of Barrimore and Stanwix and a Spanish regiment
which had been recently raised and named after himself.
These charged the enemy with great bravery, drove back
their infantry for some distance, recovered the five guns the
cavalry had lost, and, still pressing forward, fought their way
deep into the centre of the Spanish ranks. Had they been
supported by the Portuguese infantry on their flank the battle
might still have been won. But the latter, in spite of the
persuasions and orders of their officers, refused to advance,
and, turning their backs, made off in confusion although not
yet attacked by the enemy. Orders were then sent to the
Portuguese horse on the left to charge to the assistance of
Pierce's brigade. But instead of doing this they also galloped
off the field, and after defending themselves with desperate
valour for some time, the little brigade, being unsupported,



CROFTOJi't- CAVALRY ATTACK THE PORTUGUESE INFANTRY.





320
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
marshal, he was sent to ride over the field and ascertain who
had fallen and what prisoners had been taken. Night was
already coming on, and, after fulfilling his mission as far as
was possible in the confusion, he came upon two Spanish
soldiers with a prisoner.
"Whom have you there?" he asked in Spanish.
"I don't know, sir; we found him lying under his horse,
which in its fall had so pinned down his leg that he could
not escape. Several others had fallen round him, and it
was only when we heard a cry for help that we turned the
dead horse over and found him under it, and then got him
out."
Standing close there was light enough for Desmond to dis-
tinguish the prisoner's features. He gave a slight start of
surprise, then he said, "You have done well, my men. Here
is a doubloon to get some drink with your comrades when
you get into the town. I will look after the prisoner."
The men saluted and went off, well pleased to have got rid
of the trouble of marching their prisoner into the town.
Mike, rather surprised, moved up to take charge of the
captive.
"My lord," Desmond said, "I will now endeavour to repay
the kindness you showed me. Do you see that little hut,
Mike, just at the edge of those trees. You must hide the earl
there. Our cavalry are still all over the country hunting
down fugitives."
The earl, who was scarcely able to walk, his leg having been
injured by the weight of the horse upon it, murmured his
thanks, but did not speak again until they had entered the
shed, when Desmond said:
"Now, General, I will first cut down your riding-boot
to ease your leg. Then, if you will lie down in that corner,
we will pile this firewood over you. It will not be safe for


AN OLD FRIEND
321
you to attempt to go forward for two or three hours yet. I
have a report to make to Marshal de Bay. When I have
handed it in I will return at once. Mike, do you stay near
the hut, and if any searching party should come along,
which is scarcely likely, for they have all gone farther afield,
you can say there is no need to search the hut, as you, with
an officer, have already examined it."
In a few minutes the earl was completely hidden. Desmond
then rode into Badajos and delivered his report to the mar-
shal. He then went to the stables, took out his spare horse,
and, leading it, rode out to the hut again.
"Has anyone been here?" he asked Mike.
"Not a soul, sir."
"Take the horses into the wood then, and stay with them
for the present. It will not be safe for the earl to move for
a couple of hours."
"Now, General," he went on as he removed the firewood,
"I fear that you have been very uncomfortable."
"I can hardly say that I have been comfortable, sir, but
that is of no consequence. The pain in my leg has abated
since you cut the boot open. And now, how can I express
my gratitude to you for thus sheltering me?"
"It is but a fair return of services, sir. You gave me my
liberty, and I am doing my best to restore yours to you."
"It is all very well to say that. Captain Kennedy. I am
the general in command of the British forces in Portugal, and
had I chosen to openly release you none could have questioned
me. It was only because some magnified report of the affair
might have reached the ears of the Portuguese Government,
and given rise to rumours hostile to me, that I thought it best
to let it appear to be an accidental escape. You see, I am by
no means popular with the Portuguese. In the first place I am
a Protestant, and in the next place I am constantly bringing
(mM8) 0


322
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
pressure to bear upon them as to the supply of provisions,
the making of roads, the proper feeding and arming of their
own troops, and other matters of the same kind, and they
would only be too glad to have some cause of complaint
against me. But your case is altogether different, for you are
risking even your life in thus aiding me to escape."
"That may be, General, but it was nevertheless my duty as
a matter of conscience to endeavour to return the kindness
that you showed me; and as at present your army will hardly
be in a state to take the field against us for a long time, I do
not feel that I am seriously injuring our cause."
"Well, sir, I shall be your debtor for life. Do you in-
tend to remain always an exile, Captain Kennedy?' the Earl
of Galway went on. "It seems to me little short of mad-
ness that so many gallant gentlemen should cut themselves
altogether adrift from their native country, and pass their
lives fighting as mercenaries. I do not use the word offen-
sively, but only in its proper meaning of foreigners serving
in the army of a nation not their own. Nor do I mean
to insult Irish gentlemen by even hinting that they serve
simple for pay. They fight for France mainly in the hope
that France will some day aid in setting James Stuart on
the British throne, a forlorn hope, for although Louis may
encourage the hopes of the Stuarts and their followers by
patronizing their cause, which it suits them to do because it
gives him the means of striking at England by effecting a
landing in Scotland or Ireland, it is yet a matter upon which
he must be indifferent save in his own interest, and in the
advantage it gives him of keeping in his service some dozen
or so splendid regiments, on whose valour he can always rely."
"That is true, sir," Desmond replied; "and I own I have
no great hope that by the means of French assistance the
Stuarts will regain their throne. But what could I do if I


AN OLD FRIEND
323
were to return to Ireland? Beyond the fact that my name
is Kennedy, I am in absolute ignorance as to what branch
of that family I belong to, and have practically not a friend
in the country. Were I to land in Ireland I have no means
of earning my living, and should doubtless be denounced as
one who had served in the Irish Brigade. I own that I should
be glad to return there for a time in order to make enquiries
as to my family. I was but sixteen when I left, and was
kept, as it seems to me, purposely in total ignorance on the
subject. It may be that I was the son of a brave officer of
that name, who certainly came over to France soon after I
was born, and fell fighting some years before I came out; but
I have no proof that it was so, and would give a great deal
to be able to ascertain it. In Ireland they think a great deal
of genealogy, and I am often questioned by Irishmen of old
descent as to my family, and find it extremely awkward to be
obliged to own that I know nothing of it with any certainty.
I have no desire to pass my life in battles and sieges, and, if
I survive the risks and perils, to settle down as a Frenchman
with an Irish name."
"That I can well understand," the earl said. "'Tis a life
that no man could desire, for it would certainly be a wasted
one. I can assure you that I think the chance of James
Stuart or his descendants gaining the throne of England is
remote in the extreme. When William of Orange came over
there was no standing army, and as James II had rendered
himself extremely unpopular by his Catholic leanings, he be-
came possessed of England without opposition, and of Ireland
by means of his Dutch troops. The matter is entirely changed
now. England has a strong army, against which a gathering,
however strong, of undisciplined men could have but little
chance. I conceive it possible that a Catholic Stuart might
regain the throne of Ireland if backed by a French army


IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
and if the people were supplied with French arms and money.
But that he would retain the throne after the French were
withdrawn I regard as next to impossible."
"I cannot but think the same, sir. However, as I see no
chance of my being able to go to Ireland, even to push my
enquiries as to my family, there is nothing for it but to
remain a soldier of France."
"In that matter I might assist you, Captain Kennedy. I
have no doubt that my influence and that of my friends in
England would without difficulty suffice to gain permission
for you to visit Ireland on private business, on my under-
taking that you have no political object whatever in desiring
to do so, and that you engage yourself to enter into no plots
or schemes for a rising. Furthermore, I think I can promise
that if you succeed in your researches, and find that you have
relations and friends there, I could, if you desire it, obtain a
revocation of any pains and penalties you may have incurred,
and a restoration of all your rights as an Irishman. That
is certainly the least I can do after the vital service that you
have rendered me—a service that in itself shows you do not
share in the bitter enmity so many of your countrymen un-
fortunately feel against England." )
"I have no such enmity assuredly," Desmond said. "The
choice of coming out here to enter the service of France was
not of my own making, but was made for some reason which
I have never been able to understand by the gentleman who
had borne the expenses of my bringing up, but who was him-
self a strong supporter of the English rule, and therefore
would have been expected to place every obstacle in the way
of my entering the Irish Brigade.


WAR
327
Two days after the fight the Marquis de Bay moved forward
with his army with the intention of fighting another battle,
but Galway and Frontiera had by this time reorganized their
forces and occupied so strong a position near Elvas that he
could not venture to attack them. However, he occupied
the country for a considerable distance beyond the frontier,
subsisting his army upon the provisions and forage collected
by his cavalry in the villages and small towns. As it was
evident that, after the proof given of the inability of the
Portuguese to withstand any attack, there was no probability
of offensive operations being renewed by the allies, and the
heat becoming intense, the force was withdrawn across the
frontier and went into quarters, the general returning to
Madrid, where he received an enthusiastic welcome from the
inhabitants.
By this time, however, the knowledge that the king of
France was entering into negotiations which would necessitate
his desertion of Spain greatly excited the population against
the French stationed at the capital. They were hissed and
hooted when they appeared in the streets, and for a time the
indignation was so great that the troops were ordered to
remain in the barracks. The king himself, however, gained
rather than lost popularity, as he issued a proclamation to the
people, saying that, having accepted their invitation to be
their king, he would remain with them until driven from his
throne by force, and he confided absolutely in their affection
and aid to enable him to withstand any foes who might at-
tempt to dethrone him. In the autumn another change oc-
curred. Although, in order to obtain peace, he had granted
all the demands, however exorbitant, of the allies, and had
undertaken to withdraw his troops from Spain, Louis stood
firm when to these conditions they added another, namely, that
he should himself undertake by force to dethrone his grandson.


328
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
This monstrous demand united at once both those who
wished to continue the war rather than grant such humiliating
terms as those which had been insisted upon, and the party
who were in favour of peace, even at that cost. The nego-
tiations were abruptly broken off, and the French troops, who
were already on the march towards the frontier, received or-
ders to remain in Spain.
Now that he had O'Neil with him, the time in Madrid
passed more pleasantly for Desmond than before. He was
frequently away for several days carrying despatches to the
commanders of the forces in Valencia and Barcelona. In
the capital the French were again regarded as friends, and
as several successes had been gained and places captured in
Catalonia, the hope that the civil war that had so long been
waged was approaching its end, and the confidence engendered
by the victory on the Caya, made the people doubt whether
any attempt at invasion from the west would be contemplated,
and they gave themselves up to gaiety. Balls and fetes were
frequently organized, and at these the French were among the
most honoured jruests.
Early in the spring preparations were made for active op-
erations. Lieutenant-General O'Mahony had just returned
from Sicily, where he had rendered distinguished service. In
the previous year Crofton had been made a major-general,
and two new regiments of Irish infantry had been formed
of deserters from the enemy in Catalonia and Portugal.
These were commanded by Colonel Dermond M'Auliffe and
Colonel John Comerford. These two regiments, with another
under Colonel Macdonald, marched from Madrid in April.
As the Marquis de Bay was not yet moving he offered O'Ma-
hony, who had the command of the force, the services of
Desmond and O'Neil as aides-de-camp. The offer was a wel-
come one, for as none of the men in the newly-raised regi-


WAB
329
ments was acquainted with the language, Desmond who now
spoke Spanish well, would be far more valuable to him than
Spanish officers could be.
For two months the little force moved about in Catalonia,
the rapidity of its marches baffling the attempts of the arch-
duke's forces to interfere with its operations. These were
principally directed against various small fortresses held by
partisans of Charles. Several of these were captured, thus
clearing the roads they guarded, and'opening the country for
the more important operations that Philip himself was
about to undertake. It was not until July that the royal
army approached Lerida, where O'Mahony's force joined it.
General Stanhope marched with the troops under his com-
mand and encamped at Balaguer, where he was joined by
Baron de Wetzel with some troops, which had been brought
from Italy. As Stanhope's force was insufficient to give bat-
tle until joined by the main army of Charles, he marched,
on the 31st of July, headed by two English and two Dutch
regiments of dragoons, to secure the passes near Alfaro, and
so check the advance of the Spaniards. After performing a
long and difficult march they took up a defensive position.
Stanhope found, however, that the river in front of him was
so low that cavalry and artillery could pass easily, and even
infantry could cross without difficulty.
Scarcely had he taken up his position when two brigades
of infantry and nineteen squadrons of cavalry were seen ap-
proaching, having been detached from the Spanish army to
occupy the position which had been secured by the rapidity
of Stanhope's march. They therefore waited for their main
army to come up, but before it did so the whole of Stanhope's
force had arrived, and was prepared for battle. Although it
was past six o'clock in the evening, Charles, on his arrival,
decided to fall upon the enemy before they could encamp.


330
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
which they might do in a position in which it would be dif-
ficult to attack them.
Fourteen cannon at once opened fire from an eminence,
whence they commanded the position taken up by the advance
force of the Spaniards. This position was on low ground in
front of the ridge upon which the village of Almenara stood,
and nothing could be seen of the force that lay behind this
ridge.
The advanced force of Spaniards ascended this ridge as
soon as the artillery opened upon them, and General Stan-
hope obtained leave from Marshal Staremberg, who com-
manded the archduke's army, to charge them. With ten
squadrons of horse he rode up the ascent, and there, when he
gained it, saw to his surprise twenty-two squadrons facing
him, flanked with infantry, and supported with another line
of cavalry equally strong. He sent back at once for fourteen
squadrons from his second line, and when six of these came up
he advanced against the Spaniards, who at the same time
moved forward to meet him. The cavalry on Philip's left
at once gave way. The centre and right aided by the fire
of the infantry, made a stout fight, but were driven back by
the English and Dutch cavalry. The fighting was severe,
for of the six English squadrons who charged, two hundred
men and twenty-one officers were killed or wounded.
Philip's second line of cavalry gave but feeble support,
and Stanhope's horse soon had them all in confusion, and,
driving them from the field, pursued them hotly. The fugi-
tives dashed into their own infantry, who were just arriving
in force, and their panic communicated itself to them, and a
total rout took place. The pursuit was kept up until it was
so dark that the troopers were unable to see each other's faces,
and they then halted, having defeated the Spanish without
the aid of their infantry, which had not come up in time to


332
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
of foot and six squadrons of Portuguese horse. The Spanish
line ran obliquely from the river on their left to a steep hill
on their right occupied by their cavalry and a battery of artil-
lery. These, therefore, were much nearer to the attacking
force than were those on the plain.
The battle began at twelve o'clock, Charles's force march-
ing in two lines, with the exception of Stanhope's cavalry and
infantry. These, from their situation, were the first to come
in contact with the enemy. The four battalions first pushed
forward up the hill, and, driving the Spanish cavalry back,
allowed Stanhope's horse to ascend the hill and form on its
crest. The battle speedily ranged along the whole line.
The Spaniards, with superior numbers-, gained ground on
their left. Here O'Mahony's corps were stationed, and they
drove a portion of the allies across the Ebro again; but this
success was more than counterbalanced on the other flank,
where Stanhope's cavalry and infantry carried all before them.
The latter, posted in a hollow, opened so heavy a fire upon
the Spanish infantry as they advanced that they fell in dis-
order, and as their cavalry were driven off, hotly pursued by
Stanhope, they fell back upon the centre, which they threw
into disorder. Seeing that the battle was lost, the Marquis
de Bay gave the order to retire.
Two hours after the first shot was fired the rout of the
Spanish centre and right was complete, but a considerable
portion of the troops were rallied by de Bay at Alagon, three
leagues above Saragossa. The left wing, under Generals
Amezaga and O'Mahony, were checked in their course of
victory by the disaster which befell the centre and right; but,
maintaining their discipline, they fell back in good order and
rejoined their defeated comrades at Alagon. All the can-
non and most of the colours of the regiments forming the
centre and right fell into the hands of the victors. The loss


.WAR
333
of the allies was about two thousand men killed or wounded,
and that of the Spaniards and French three thousand killed
and wounded and between five and six thousand prisoners.
Philip rode at once to Madrid, and on the evening of the bat-
tle the archduke entered Saragossa, while de Bay retired
with the broken remains of his troops towardsNavarre.
Desmond and O'Neil, who had ridden behind O'Mahony,
saw the Spanish troops of the archduke yield before the im-
petuous attacks of the Irish regiments, who, as they pressed
their foes backwards, burst into loud cheering, believing the
victory already won. Presently O'Mahony stopped the ad-
vance.
"We must not push too far forward," he said. "It seems
to me that things are not going well in other directions.
Our centre is being pressed back. What is going on on the
right I cannot say, but the enemy seems to have gained the
top of the hill, for our cannon there are silent. If the centre
is driven back, those we have now beaten will rally, and we
shall be taken in flank by the fire of their centre. Therefore
let us be content with what we have done, and wait and see
how things turn out elsewhere."
Even before the rout of the Spanish right their centre was
yielding, for opposed to them were the British and Dutch
regiments, whose attack they were altogether unable to with-
stand. It soon became clear that at all other points on the field
the battle was going against the Spaniards, and an aide-de-
camp presently rode up hastily with orders from Marshal
de Bay for his left to fall back and retire to Alagon. Deep
was the rage and disappointment among the troops of O'Ma-
hony and Amezaga as they faced about and set out on their
march. They were unmolested. The troops they had beaten
were in no disposition to follow them, while the allied cavalry
and the infantry of their centre were in full pursuit of the


334
IN THE IKISH BRIGADE
rest of Philip's army, the remnants of which the little force
joined at Alagon before nightfall.
It was some days before the archduke's army moved forward
again. The troops were exhausted by the long marches they
had made, and there was a difference of opinion among the
generals as to the course that had best be followed. The
king wished to pursue the beaten enemy and if possible to
intercept their march towards France, but Count Starem-
berg and Stanhope were of opinion that they should first oc-
cupy Madrid, and then march into Navarre, so as to bar the
advance of fresh French troops into Spain and at the same
time open communications by sea with England, whence they
could be supplied with reinforcements and stores of provisions.
Finally Charles gave way, and the allies marched towards
Madrid. The main portion of the army halted at Alcala, a
day's march from the capital, and General Stanhope marched
on with his division to Madrid, which opened its gates with-
out resistance, Philip having retired with his army. Charles
entered the city on the 28th of September, 1710.
The alarm in France at the news of the defeat at Sara-
gossa was great, and Louis at once despatched the Duke of
Vendome to command there. The latter, travelling fast, and
gathering up the garrisons of the towns through which he
passed, crossed the frontier at nearly the same time as Charles
entered Madrid, and effected a junction with de Bay's army,
which had by this time been increased by some fourteen thou-
sand men drawn from the garrisons of towns in Navarre,
Castille, Galicia, and Valencia. Vendome had no doubt that
the intention of the allies in marching upon Madrid was to
open communication with the Portuguese, and determined
to throw himself between the capital and the frontier.
Marching with all speed, he encamped near Salamanca on the
6th of October, and thence moved to Plasencia, thereby se-


WAR
335
curing the bridge of Almarez and preventing the Portu-
guese from joining Charles.
Had it not been for the usual indecision and want of
energy on the part of the Portuguese Government the junc-
tion might have been effected before Vendome arrived at
Plasencia, for both Charles and Stanhope had, after the vic-
tory of Saragossa, written urgently, begging that the Portu-
guese army should at once advance and join them at Madrid,
and that at any rate, if the whole army could not move, at
least the troops in the pay of England should push forward
instantly. Stanhope indeed had marched with his division
to the bridge of Almarez to facilitate the junction, and had
defeated a Spanish force guarding the bridge. However, the
Portuguese did not arrive; and when a messenger brought the
alarming news that a Spanish and French army had occu-
pied Plasencia, Stanhope fell back towards Madrid. As
large French reinforcements were known to be approaching
the frontier, and Philip's army was already much superior in
numbers to that of the allies, it was decided in a council of
war to evacuate Madrid. The forces which had occupied
Toledo and other towns were recalled, and early in December
the army left the capital, the archduke riding at once to Bar-
celona, while the army, of which Stanhope's division formed
the rear guard, followed in the same direction.
The movement had been delayed too long; Vendome and
Philip were already at hand, and on the 9th fell on Stanhope's
division at Brihuega. This force, consisting of eight English
battalions and the same number of Portuguese horse, de-
fended themselves desperately, and although the town was
wholly without fortifications they repulsed every attack un-
til their ammunition was exhausted, and they were then
forced to surrender. Staremberg, on hearing that Stanhope
was attacked and surrounded, turned back and marched with


336
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
all speed to relieve him, but on arriving wit-in three hours'
march of the town, heard that he had surrendered. The Duke
of Vendome, hearing of his coming, drew his troops out and
formed them in line of battle, and the next morning attacked
him vigorously. The allied right held their ground, but the left
fled, and Vendome swept his right round and took the centre
and right of the allies in the rear. Three battalions of the
second line, however, fell in turn upon the French rear and
repulsed them, and the left wing, rallying again, renewed
the battle.
The combat was indecisive, both parties claiming the vic-
tory. Staremberg wrote to Charles that he had captured all
the enemy's puns and had killed six thousand of them, while
the French claimed that they had totally defeated the allies
and captured all their cannon, killed four thousand, and ta-
ken nine thousand prisoners. The balance of probability lies /
to some extent with the French, for the day after the battle,'
Staremberg retired and marched to Barcelona; but the fact
that he was not at once pursued shows that the French and
Spaniards must have suffered very heavily.
Desmond had passed unscathed through the battle of Sar-
agossa. O'Neil had been severely wounded, but had managed
to sit his horse until the division effected its junction with
the Marquis de Bay's shattered forces. Great was the wrath
among the two Irish regiments at the issue of the battle.
"What is the use," an officer said to Desmond, "of our
throwing away our lives fighting for these Spaniards when
they themselves are useless, save when they meet the Portu-
guese, who are still more contemptible? Here have we, on level
ground, fairly beaten the enemy, while the right and centre,
although having a great advantage in position, allow them-
selves to be scattered like a flock of sheep."
"They had stouter foes to meet than we had," Desmond


338
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
him on the throne. If, again, they would not accept him,
England and France should mutually agree not to interfere
in the affair, and let the Spaniards indulge in civil war as
long as it pleases them."
Moore laughed. "It might be a good solution, Kennedy,
but there is no more chance of Philip or Charles renouncing
their pretensions, or indeed of the French on one side and
the allies on the other permitting them to do so, than there is
of the world becoming an Utopia, where war shall be un-
known, and all peoples live together in peace and amity."
"Well," Desmond said, "for my part I am sick of fighting
in quarrels that do not concern me, and when this campaign
comes to an end I shall, if possible, rejoin Berwick. The
cause of the Stuarts is not advanced in the slightest by what
is taking place in Spain, and if I am to fight, I would rather
do so where victory would benefit us."
"I don't know that you are not right," the other assented.
"It certainly seems a pity that the best blood of Ireland
should be spilled in Flanders and Spain in the service of a
foreign country. To my mind the terms of the surrender
of Limerick were disadvantageous both to Ireland and Eng-
land. England has gained a number of inveterate foes who,
with good and wise treatment, might now be fighting in her
own ranks; Ireland has lost her best blood, men who were
her natural leaders, and belonged to the old families, whom
all respected."
"I am sure it was a mistake," Desmond said. "If the
terms had been an absolute equality in all matters of religion,
and the free pardon of all without confiscation of their prop-
erty or other disability, it would have gone far to reconcile
our people to defeat, for they would have seen that they could
not hope for more than the right of free exercise of their re-
ligion if the Stuarts came to the throne again,"


IN 8EARCH OF A FAMILY
341
CHAPTER XIX
IN SBAECH OF A FAMILY
QN the following day Desmond left the brigade, and, fol-
lowed by Mike, rode for Madrid, where was still lying
a letter which had arrived some months before from Eng-
land. He had not asked for it to be forwarded, for if he had
been killed, and it had been found on him, it might do his
memory a great disservice, as it would seem that he had been
in correspondence with the British. The letter, which con-
tained an enclosure, was, to his surprise, from Lord Godol-
phin. It ran:
Dear Captain Kennedy,—Partly at the request of the Earl
of Oalway, and still more from my own remembrance of your
conduct in that affair you know of, and of the silence that you
maintained concerning it, I have pleasure in sending you
a safe-conduct to visit Ireland on private affairs. The earl
tells me that you have rendered him the greatest of services,
and this alone should cancel the fact that you have been serv-
ing against us in Flanders and Spain. For this, and for your
conduct to myself, I can promise you that should you, at any
time while I am in power, decide to remain in Ireland, I will
obtain for you a full and complete pardon and a restoration to
all your rights as an Irish subject of the queen. I will also
obtain a reversal of any attainders or acts of confiscation that
may have been passed against your family, on your giv-
ing your promise that you will not take part in any secret
plots or conspiracies against the reigning family, though in
the event of a general rising in Ireland, with the assistance


342
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
perhaps of a French army, you would be at liberty to choose
your own course of action, without incurring more pains and
penalties than those which might iefall any native of Ireland
waging war against the queen.
As both Godolphin and Marlborough were known to be by
no means unfavourably disposed to the cause of the Stuarts,
Desmond was hardly surprised at the latter part of this inti-
mation. Though he had but small hopes of being enabled to
remain permanently at home, it was yet very welcome to him.
Certainly, if he remained in Ireland he would consider him-
self bound to hold himself aloof from all Jacobite plots,
although, if the country rose and a French army landed, he
would, unless he considered the cause a hopeless one, draw
his sword on behalf of him whom he considered as his law-
ful sovereign.
"It is not sorry I am, your honour, to be turning my back
on this country," Mike said, as they rode out from the gate;
"the wine is good, which is more than I can say for anything
else in it, except that the people are good Catholics."
"I am starting a longer journey than you think, Mike. I
am only going to the duke now to ask for a year's leave,
though I do not think that I shall be absent more than a few
months."
"And where are you going, your honour, if I may make so
bold as to ask?"
"I am going to Ireland. Mike."
Mike looked at him with astonishment. "To Ireland, your
honour? Sure they will hang you before you set your foot
a week in the country."
f "I have obtained a safe-conduct. Mike, from Lord Godol-
phin. You remember him, the nobleman we kidnapped?"
"Sure I remember him, your honour; and he has given you


IN SEARCH OP A FAMILY
343
a safe-conduct? It is in luck you are, to be going back to
Ireland again."
"It is not a visit of pleasure, Mike. I am going over to try
to ascertain to which branch of my family I belong."
"And what can it matter, your honour? It's a good name
you have made for yourself out here."
"I have done well enough, Mike, but I am tired of being
asked by almost every officer I meet about my family, when
in fact I know nothing myself."
"Well, Captain, it does not seem to me worth troubling
about, for if you don't know who they are, it is little they can
have done for you."
"It would seem so, Mike. There is a mystery about the
whole affair, and I want to get to the bottom of it."
He rode silently for some distance. He knew that Mike
would go through fire and water for him, and that, simple as
he seemed, he had no ordinary amount of shrewdness; and he
determined to tell him all he knew, especially as he intended
to take him to Ireland with him.
"Mike, he said at last, "I suppose you would like to pay
a visit to Ireland alsol"
"I should that," Mike said emphatically. "I was but
eighteen when I came out here to enlist in the brigade—that
is twelve years ago now, and it is few people would be likely
to know me again."
"Well, I am thinking of taking you with me, Mike; and
as possibly you may be of use in my search, I will tell you
my story."
And he related the history of his youth.
"He must be an unfeeling baste to treat you like that,"
Mike exclaimed indignantly. "Sure I know the name, and
have heard him spoken of as a traitor who had gone over to
the enemy, and turned Protestant to save his estate."


844
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"That is how you would hear him spoken of, Mike, for it
is true; but as to his treatment of me, it all depends whether
I was forced upon him by threats, or was taken by him out
of friendship to my father. If it were the first of these
reasons, he cannot be blamed for keeping me at a distance: if
the second, he certainly ought to have behaved differently.
But neither explains why he, a supporter of the usurper,
should have sent me out to France to fight against the Eng-
lish. It is a hard nut to crack."
Mike agreed. "Mighty hard; but your honour will get to
the bottom of it, never fear. And why are we going to the
duke, master?"
"To get leave of absence. I cannot disappear suddenly
without asking for leave. I shall, of course, tell the Duke
of Berwick exactly why I am going, and I feel sure he will
grant my request without hesitation. There is no fighting
to be done just at present, and even if there were, one officer
more or less would make no difference.
"Have you any relations in Ireland, Mike?"
"None that I know of, sir, barring a sister who was twelve
years older than myself; and it is little I saw of her, for she
married when I was a bit of a gossoon. Her husband was
killed in the siege of Limerick, and I heard that after it was
over, she went to settle with some cousins in Cork. Whether
she is there now, is married again, or is dead years ago, is
more than I can say, seeing that I have never heard of her
since."
"Was she with her husband in the siege of Limerick?"
"She was that; I heard about her from some men who
knew her husband. They said, after he was killed she went
as a servant in the family of an officer and his wife for a bit,
but the officer was killed, and the lady died of grief and
trouble; and it was hard work she had to live till the place


346
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
my father, and of course I was contented that it should be
supposed so, and therefore I asked no questions about other
Kennedys. Of late, however, I have been worried over the
matter. In the Irish regiments in Spain, as elsewhere, were
a number of officers belonging to good old Irish families, and
though I have got on well enough with them—in the first
place as Berwick's aide-de-camp, and afterwards as on the staff
of the generals here—I could see that when, in answer to their
question, it was evident I knew little or nothing of my family,
there was a sort of coolness in their manner which I could
quite understand, counting back their ancestors as they did
pretty nearly to the flood. At present it does not make any
difference to me personally, one way or the other, but I am
convinced that if by chance, when I get older, I should fall in
love with the daughter of an officer of one of these old fami-
lies, he would not for a moment listen to me until I could give
him some proofs that I had a right to the name I bear, or at
any rate came of a good family. Certainly, at present I could
not assure him on either point. I only know that I have always
been called Kennedy, and that it was under that name that I
was committed to the care of Father O'Leary. That proves
nothing more than that it is the name by which John O'Car-
roll wished me to be called; and it is as likely as not—indeed
a good deal more likely—that it was not the true one."
"Well, at any rate, your honour, you have made the name
of Desmond Kennedy well known and liked both among the
Irish and French officers, for it is no slight thing that an
officer in an infantry regiment should be taken on the staff
of the Duke of Berwick."
"All that is very well, Mike; but it will not satisfy me
more than it satisfies others. So I am resolved to try to get
to the bottom of the affair, even if I have to go direct to
John O'Carroll, though I know that the chance of his telling


IN SEARCH OF A FAMILY
347
me anything is but slight. The only way indeed that seems
likely to lead to anything is to call upon as many of the
Kennedys as I can discover, and ask whether Murroch Ken-
nedy, who left Ireland after the siege of Limerick, married
and left a child of two years old behind him. If so, and that
child suddenly disappeared when his father left for France,
there would be every reason for assuming that I was the child
in question; though why he should have committed me to the
charge of John O'Carroll instead of to one of his own family
is not easily seen, unless the whole of the Kennedys were in
such ill-favour with the English Government that he thought
it better to trust me to one who was in good odour with the
supporters of Dutch William, and was therefore safe from
disturbance in his estates."
"Sure, your honour, you are arguing it out like a counsel-
lor, and there is no gainsaying what you have spoken. I have
no doubt you will ferret it out. With such a head as you have
on your shoulders, it is hard if you cannot circumvent that
ould rascal at Kilkargan."
"At any rate we will try, you and I. While I am visiting
the Kennedys, you can be finding out people who were at
Limerick during the siege, and gather all they can remember
about the Kennedys there."
As Desmond had expected, the duke, as soon as he heard
his story, at once granted him leave of absence.
"I hope you may succeed, Kennedy," he said. "It is a
poor look-out to be risking death continually in the service
of a foreign king. I grant that we have the knack of making
ourselves at home wherever we may be, and there are Irish
officers in every army in Europe; but, however successful
Irishmen may be, they cannot but long to be among their
own people in their own land. And if, as you tell me, Lord
Godolphin will befriend you, I for one shall think no worse


350
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
foreign service. My estates were confiscated, and I have ever
since lived here on the wreck of my fortune, taking no part
in politics. My cousin was of a different mind. He did not
indeed go at once with the greater part of the army of
Limerick, but still, hoping that the cause was not altogether
lost, he lived for some months among the mountains and took
part in a rising which was promptly suppressed, and then
joined the Irish Brigade; and I received a notification from
one of his brother officers that he had fallen at the battle of
Breda. And now may I ask in turn what Murroch Kennedy's
relationship was to you?"
"I will tell you, sir. But first will you kindly inform me
whether your cousin left a child about a year old behind
him?"
"Certainly not, sir. My cousin was an unmarried man, at
any rate up to the time when he left Ireland."
"Then, sir, my questions are at an end. I may tell you
that about the time your cousin left Ireland I was sent as an
infant to the care of John O'Carroll, the traitor, of Kilkargan,
and was brought up under the name of Desmond Kennedy.
He showed me but little kindness, and nearly three years ago
I went abroad and obtained a commission in one of the
regiments in the Irish Brigade, and now hold the rank of
captain. For many reasons I am anxious to find out what
family I belong to. It was assumed by my colonel and fellow
officers that I was the son of Murroch Kennedy, and I wished
to ascertain whether this was true, and with that object
obtained leave of absence and made my way back."
"I am sorry that I can give you no assistance, sir. As-
suredly you are not the son of my cousin, Murroch Kennedy,
and had you been, John O'Carroll, the traitor, would have
been the last man to whom he would have entrusted you. I
know well the history of all the members of my branch of the


352
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"A romantic story, young sir," Mr. Kennedy said when he
had finished,' and to whatever family you belong, they should
be proud of possessing so gallant a member. You tell me that
you have a safe-conduct, but you did not mention how you
obtained it."
"Desmond had abstained from making any allusion either
to the affair with Lord Godolphin or to that with the Earl of
Galway, and he replied: "Sir, this is a secret that concerns
other people as well as myself, consequently I am not at
liberty to explain it. I may say, however, that it was given
to me on my engagement that my visit to Ireland was one of
a private nature only, and that I would in no way meddle with
politics. When I tell you that the Duke of Berwick himself
granted me the necessary leave of absence, it will prove to you
that he on his part was well satisfied that the safe-conduct had
been issued to me without any unworthy offers on my part to
the Princess Anne's ministers."
After chatting for some time longer, Desmond took his
leave and returned to Cork.
Mike was standing at the door of the inn.
"I have had no success, Mike; have you fared better?"
"I have not found her yet, your honour, but I have great
hopes of doing so. Larry Callaghan died four years ago,
and the woman of the house she occupied said that Mrs.
Rooney moved with his widow and children to some other
part of the town. She knew little about them, seeing that she
only went into the house after they had left, but her husband
worked in the same yard as Larry did, and she thought that
he would be able to find out from some of the old hands
where the widow Callaghan had moved to. She said she would
ask her husband when he came home to his dinner, and maybe
he would be able to give her some news. And so your honour
has learned nothing about yourself?"


354
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
when I saw her last; but when we had convinced each other
that we were both what we said we were, matters went on
pleasantly. I told her some of my adventures with you, and
that by the same token I had a hundred gold pieces that the
Baron of Pointdexter had given me, sewn up in a belt round
my waist, where it has been ever since I got it, except when we
went into battle, or on that expedition to Scotland, when, as
your honour knows, I always put it in with the agent in your
name, seeing that I would rather, if I was killed, know that
your honour would have it instead of its being taken by some
villain searching the dead. I told her that if she and Mrs.
Callaghan wanted to take a bigger place I would share it with
her, and that quite settled the matter in her mind that I was
her brother. She said, as I knew she would, that she would
come and talk to you for a week if you wanted it; and she will
be here to-morrow at nine o'clock."
"That is very satisfactory. I am afraid nothing will come
of our talk; but still one may get a clue to other Kennedys
who were present at the siege of Limerick."
Punctually at nine o'clock Mike ushered his sister into Des-
mond's sitting-room. "I am glad to see you, Mrs. Rooney.
Your brother has been with me for three years, and has
rendered me very many services, and I regard him as a friend
rather than as a servant. I am glad that he has found his
sister, from whom he has been so long parted."
"Mike has been telling me how good you have been to him,
and that he would go through fire and water for you, and that
you have had some wonderful adventures together. He said
you wanted to speak to me about the siege of Limerick. If
there is anything I can tell you, your honour, I will do so
gladly."
"What I want to know is, what Kennedys were at the
siege?"


IN SEARCH OF A FAMILY
355
"There was Murroch Kennedy, and Phelim, who was always
called 'Bed Kennedy', on account of his colour; and James
and Fergus. I knew all these because they were friends of
my master's. It may be that there were many others, but
they were unbeknown to me."
"Am I like any of them?"
The woman looked at him searchingly. "You are not, sir;
but you are mighty like my master, barring, of course, that
he was a man ten years older than yourself. But the more
I look at you the more I see the likeness."
"I did not know that you had a master, Mrs. Rooney; I
thought that you were there with your husband."
"So I was, your honour; but when he was kilt I was left
alone, saving for a child that had been born a fortnight before,
and what with the bad smells of the place and the sound of the
cannon, and the fact of my grief, he pined away all at once,
and died a week after me husband. It is well-nigh starving
we all were, even the fighting men had scarce enough food to
keep their strength up, and a lone woman would have died
from hunger. So I was mighty glad when a friend of mine
told me that there was an officer's lady who had had a baby,
and, being but weak and ailing, wanted a foster-mother for it;
so I went at once and got the place, and was with her for a
month. Her husband was killed three weeks after I went
there, and the blow was too much for her, and she died a
week later. A fortnight after that came the peace, and as
everything was in confusion, what wid our soldiers all going
away to France and the persecutions and slaughterings, I took
the child with me and went down to my cousin Larry's here.
Av course I could not part with it, and I could not make
my way alone across the country, so I came down here with
the troops. I was not strong myself, and it was a year later
before I was able to take it to its friends."


356
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
"What was the name of your master?" Desmond asked
eagerly, for her last words had excited a sudden train of ideas
in his mind.
"He was Mr. James O'Carroll, a great gentleman, and the
head of his family."
Desmond sprang to his feet. "That explains it all!" ho
exclaimed. "Mrs. Rooney, I have no doubt that I am your
foster-child."
"Why, how can that be, your honour, seeing as your name
is Kennedy, though except for that, you might well be so,
seeing that you are so like my master."
"At any rate, Mrs. Eooney, I was reared at Kilkargan at the
expense of John O'Carroll, and was, as I heard, brought there
by a woman when I was a year old. O'Carroll said that my
name was Desmond Kennedy, but I had only his word for it."
"Then how is it that you are not master of Kilkargan, for
if you are Mr. James O'Carroll's son it is you that ought to
be? I have always thought of you as there. I have not been
in the way of getting news. I left my address with Mr. John,
but I never heard from him or you. I thought perhaps that
he might have lost the address, but I never dreamt that you
had been kept out of your own."
"I don't know that I can say that altogether," Desmond
said, "for if it had been known that James O'Carroll had
left an heir his estates would certainly have been confiscated,
whereas, owing to his brother's turning Protestant and join-
ing the Williamites, he was allowed to keep possession of
them. I can understand now what seemed so strange, namely,
that he feared that I might somehow learn that I was his
nephew, and heir to the estates. Therefore he behaved as if
I was the son of a stranger, and when I was old enough, sent
me off to join the Irish Brigade, in hopes that he had seen the
last of me, for, even if not killed, I should never be able to set



"THAT EXPLAINS IT ALI,!" HE EXCLAIMED.





IN SEARCH OF A FAMILY
357
foot in Ireland again after fighting for France. 'Tis strange
that none of my father's brother officers ever made any en-
quiries about it."
"They all went with the army to France, sir. They knew,
of course, that the child was born, though they may never have
seen you, for the mistress never left her bed after you were
born. Naturally, after her death they lost sight of me, and
might well have believed that the child had died."
"You must give me the names of all the officers who came
to the house, Mrs. Rooney. Many of them may be alive still,
and their testimony that a child was born would be most im-
portant, for at present there is only your word against John
O'Carroll's."
"There is more than that, sir. You were baptized on the
day she died. My mistress gave me the paper the priest had
given to her, saying that it was of the greatest importance to
you, and that I was to give it to Mr. John O'Carroll when, as
I promised, I took the child to him."
"And did you give it to him?" Desmond asked eagerly.
"No, your honour. I took it with me to the castle, but
from the reception I got I thought it best to say nothing about
it, but to give it to yourself when you were old enough. I
have got it at home now. There it is, certifying that Gerald
O'Carroll, the son of James O'Carroll and his wife Elizabeth,
was baptized by him on the 6th of September, 1692."
"That is fortunate indeed," Desmond exclaimed. "And
now, tell me how this uncle of mine received you."
"Faith, your honour, he was mightily put out at first. He
said that I was an impostor and that he would have me given
in charge. I told him that I had proofs that what I said was
true, and that there were many gentlemen, brother officers of
Mr. James, who would speak for me, and say in court that
a son was born to his brother before he died. He wanted to


GERALD 0 CARROLL
359
estates. My having been in the Brigade will certainly render
it difficult for me to do so, though possibly, with the patronage
of Lord Godolphin, I may succeed. For that, however, 1 care
comparatively little. My object in coming here was to obtain
proof that I belong to a good Irish family, and that I have
no doubt I shall be able to establish."
"And what am I to call you, your honour, now that I know
you are Captain Gerald O'Carroll, and not Desmond Kennedy
at all?"
"At any rate I must remain Desmond Kennedy at present,
Mike. It is under that name that my safe-conduct was made
out, and if I were arrested as Gerald O'Carroll it would be no
protection to me. However, I shall not want to use it long,
for it seems to me that my first step must be to return to
France, and to see some of the officers who knew my father,
and were aware of my birth. Their testimony would be of
great value, and without it there would be little chance of
your sister's evidence being believed."
"But there is the paper, your honour."
"Yes; that will show that a child was born, but the proof
that I am that child rests entirely with your sister. It might
have died when its mother did, and they would say that your
sister was trying to palm off her own child or someone else's
as his. Of course'Mrs. Callaghan would be able to prove that
your sister arrived immediately after the surrender of Lim-
erick, bringing a child with her, and that she said it was the
son of James O'Carroll, and that she went a year later to Kil-
kargan and left it there with John O'Carroll. Moreover, I
could get plenty of evidence from those on the estate that I
was the child so left."
"The likeness that Norah saw between you and your father
might be taken as a proof, sir."
"I did not think of that, Mike. Yes, if some of these


360
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
officers will also testify to the likeness, it will greatly
strengthen my case. The chain of evidence seems pretty
strong. First, there is the certificate of my baptism, your
sister's declaration that I was entrusted to her by my mother
on her death-bed, supported by Mrs. Callaghan's declaration
that three weeks later she arrived in Cork with the child,
which she told her was that of James O'Carroll; your sister's
declaration that she took me to Kilkargan and handed me
over to my uncle, which would be supported by the evidence
of the woman he first placed me with; while the servants of
the castle could prove that I was brought by a woman who,
an hour later, left the castle without speaking to anyone
but my uncle. John O'Carroll will find it difficult to explain
why lie took me in, and who is the Kennedy of whom I was
the son, and what service he had rendered for him, a Protest-
ant and a Williamite, to have undertaken the charge of the
child of a rebel. There is no doubt that the weight of evi-
dence is all on my side, but whether the judges would decide
in favour of the son of a rebel as against a friend of the Eng-
lish party is doubtful. Possibly Lord Godolphin's influence
might be exerted in my favour. He promised in his letter
to me to do me any service in his power. Still, even if I lose
the estate, which I may well do on the ground of my father
having fought and died for the cause of James II, I should
still have the satisfaction of establishing my name, which I
consider of more importance than the estates."
"Sure, your honour, it's a grand thing to belong to a good
old Irish stock, but for myself I would rather be Mike
Callaghan and have a fine estate than Mike O'Neil without an
acre of land."
Desmond smiled.
"There is common sense in what you say, Mike, but there
is nothing more unpleasant than, when you are with a number


362
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
claim to be a good one, and was favourable to it, would have
no slight influence with them, and would counteract to some
extent the fact of my uncle being a Protestant and what
they would consider a loyal man. Before beginning an
action I should certainly communicate with my uncle, and
call upon him to resign in my favour, for I would avoid the
scandal of proving an O'Carroll to be a scoundrel as well as a
traitor. As it has turned out, the step which he thought would
disembarrass him of me has had the other effect, for if I
had not gone out to France I should never have been troubled
by questions about my family, and should not have met you,
Mike, or known of the existence of your sister, the only per-
son who could clear up the matter. I shall begin to think what
O'Neil and O'Sullivan used to say, that my luck would carry
me through anything; and certainly at present it has been
marvellous."
"Which way will we go back, your honour?"
"Not the way we came, if we can help it. We were nearly
a month coming from Genoa, and might have been twice as
long if the wind had not been fairly favourable. I think our
best plan will be to take passage by sea to London; there we
shall have no difficulty in finding a vessel bound for Rotter-
dam or the Hague. Then we will buy horses and ride along
by the Rhine. If we can get through Luxembourg into
France we will do so, but I think it will perhaps be best to go
on through Switzerland, and pass the frontier somewhere near
Lyons, where we shall be but a short distance from Berwick's
head-quarters in Dauphiny."
A month later they rode into the duke's camp. They had,
on leaving Toulon, packed up their uniforms and sent them
to the care of a friend on the general's staff. To his quarters
they first went, and having changed his civilian costume for a
military one, Desmond waited on the duke.


GERALD O'CARROLL
363
"Why, Captain Kennedy," the duke said in surprise, "I
did not look to see you again so soon. Have you been over
to Ireland?"
"I have, sir, and though there only a few days, gained
information that necessitated my return here. I have found
out that the name I go by is not mine, and that my proper
name is Gerald O'Carroll."
"The son of Major James O'Carroll, who fought by my side
at the Boyne, and was through the first siege of Limerick
with me! That explains it. Your face has often puzzled me;
it seemed to me that I recognized it, and yet I could not recall
whose face it was that it resembled so strongly. Now you
tell me, I know at once. Your father, when I first knew him,
was a few years older than you are, but he had the same
figure, face, and expression. And so you are his son! By
what miracle have you discovered your relationship to him?"
Desmond, or as he should now be called, Gerald, related as
briefly as possible the manner in which he had discovered his
parentage.
"Your uncle must be a thorough villain," the duke said
hotly. "That he was a traitor we all knew but that he
should thus rob his brother's son of his inheritance is mon-
strous and unnatural."
I am glad indeed, sir, that you have thus recognized me.
Your testimony will go for much even in an English court,
and I hope to receive a similar recognition from the officers
who were intimate with my father in the second siege, and
whose names I have here."
The duke glanced down the list.
. "Well-nigh half of them are still alive," he said, "and all
of them are men of rank and repute whose word would be
taken even by an enemy. How do you mean to proceed?
because I am afraid that even if we could spare them there





GERALD O'CARROLL
365
the siege. They remembered her death, but none had heard
what became of the child, for in the excitement of the closing
scenes and of the preparation for the march immediately
afterwards, they had had little time on their hands, and it was
hitherto supposed that it had, like so many other infants,
perished miserably. They willingly signed documents similar
to that which he had received from Berwick. He met with
almost equal success on the northern frontier, only two out of
eight officers failing to identify him by his likeness until he
mentioned his name, when they too acknowledged that, now
they recalled James O'Carroll's face, they saw that the like-
ness was a striking one.
Having obtained these documents he resumed civilian attire,
and riding by cross-roads passed through Flanders to Sluys
without coming in contact with any body of the allied troops.
There he had no difficulty in obtaining a passage to London,
and on his arrival called upon Lord Godolphin, who received
him cordially.
"So you have utilized your safe-conduct, Captain Kennedy.
I am glad to see my former captor, and I am as grateful as
ever to you for the silence you maintained as to that affair.
If it had been known to my enemies I should never have heard
the last of it. They would have made me such a laughing-
stock that I could scarcely have retained office. Now, what
can I do for you?"
"It is a long story, my lord."
"Then I cannot listen to it now; but if you will sup with
me here at nine o'clock this evening I shall be glad to hear it.
I am so harassed by the backstair intrigues of my enemies
that it would be a relief to me to have something else to think
of."
Gerald returned at the appointed time. Nothing was said
as to his affairs while supper was served, but after the table


366
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
had been cleared, decanters of port placed on the table, and
the servants had retired, Godolphin said:
"Now, Captain Kennedy, let us hear all about it."
Gerald related the history of his younger days, and of the
manner in which he had discovered his real parentage, pro-
ducing the certificate of his baptism, a statement which had
been drawn up at Cork and signed by Norah Rooney, and the
testimony of the Duke of Berwick and the other Irish officers.
"There can be no doubt whatever, in the mind of any fair
man," Lord Godolphin said, after listening attentively to the
whole story and examining the documents, "that your uncle,
John O'Carroll is a villain, and that you have been most un-
justly deprived of your rights. I know him by name, and
from the reports of our agents in Ireland, as one of the men
who turned his coat and changed his religion to save his es-
tates. Those men I heartily despise, while those who gave up
all and went into exile in order, as they believed, there to
serve the cause of their rightful sovereign, are men to be ad-
mired and respected. Be assured that justice shall be done
you. Of course you will take action in the courts?"
"I shall first summon him to give up the estate, shall let
him know that I have indisputable evidence to prove that I
am the son of his elder brother, and shall say that if he will
give up possession peaceably I will take no further steps in
the matter for the sake of the family name. If he refuses, as
I fear is probable, I must then employ a lawyer."
"Yes, and a good one. I will furnish you with letters to
the lord-lieutenant and to Lord Chief Justice Cox, strongly
recommending you to them, and requesting the latter to
appoint one of the law officers of the crown to take up your
case. I should say that when this John O'Carroll sees that
you have such powerful friends he will perceive that it is
hopeless for him to struggle in so bad a cause, and will very


GERALD 0'CARROLL
367
speedily accept your terms, though methinks it is hard that
so great a villain should go unpunished. Now it will be as
well that you should have something stronger than the safe-
conduct that I sent you. I will therefore draw out a docu-
ment for Her Majesty to sign, granting you a full and free
pardon for any offences that you may have committed against
her and the realm, and also settling upon you the estates to
which you are rightful heir in and about the barony of
Kilkargan, being influenced in so doing by the great services
rendered by you both to Her Majesty's well-beloved and
faithful minister and counsellor, myself, and to her trusty
general, the Earl of Galway.
"The queen is not very likely to ask the nature of the ser-
vice. Unless it be something that concerns herself she asks
but few questions, and signs readily enough the documents
laid before her. If she asks what are the offences for which
she grants her pardon, I shall say, when but a boy you were
maliciously sent abroad to join the Irish Brigade by your
uncle, who wished thus to rid himself of you altogether, and
who had foully wronged you by withholding your name from
you and all others. I shall also add that you have distin-
guished yourself much, and have gained the friendship of her
half-brother, the Duke of Berwick; and you know that the
queen in her heart of hearts would rather that her brother,
whom you Jacobites call James HI, should succeed her than
the Elector of Hanover, for whom she has no love."
"I thank you greatly indeed, my lord; never was a man so
amply rewarded for merely holding his tongue."
"It was not only that, sir; it was your conduct in general
to me. You might have left me tied up in that house, to be
found in the morning and to be made the jest of the town,
instead of which you yourself conducted and guarded me
hither, and so contrived it that no whisper spread abroad that


GERALD OCARROLL
369
queen grants me the estates of my father, I shall consider
myself bound in honour not to draw my sword against her or to
mix myself up in any plot or conspiracy, but to remain strictly
neutral whatever may be going on. Indeed, the more I think
of it the more I doubt whether it would be for the good of
Ireland did the Stuarts return to the throne; it could only be
done at a further cost of blood and misery. The old religious
quarrels would break out more fiercely than ever, there would
be risings and civil wars, confiscations and massacres, which-
ever side happened to get the upper hand. That James III
is the lawful sovereign of the three kingdoms I shall always
uphold, but there are cases when it is to the benefit of the
country at large that there should be a change in the succes-
sion."
"Sure that may be so, your honour; and yet it is hard that
a man should be kept out of his own."
"No doubt it is hard; but it is far harder that thousands
of people should be killed, and tens of thousands ruined, for
the sake of one man."
"So it is, sir; so it is, sure enough, when one comes to
think of it. Ireland has suffered mightily in the cause of the
Stuarts, and I don't suppose that if King James succeeded to
the throne his English ministers would let him turn out all the
men who have taken the places and lands of the old families."
"That they certainly would not, Mike. When Charles II
returned from exile all those who had fought and suffered for
him thought that they would recover their estates and turn
out Cromwell's men, to whom they had been granted; but they
were disappointed. The king found that he could not make
so great a change without upsetting the whole country, and
that an attempt to do so would cost him his crown; and you
may be sure that James would find an equal difficulty were he
to come to the throne."
(M 048) T


370
IN THE IRISH BRIOADE
"Well, well, your honour, you know more of such matters
than I do; but I have no doubt that you are right. I am sure
we don't want the bad times to come over again in Ireland."
Three days later Gerald received a message from Lord
Godolphin saying that he wished to see him, and on going to
his house the minister handed to him the paper with the full
pardon and the confirmation of his ownership in his father's
estates, together with a letter to the lord-lieutenant and the
Lord Chief Justice Cox. The next day he took ship for
Dublin, and on arriving there presented his letters and was
well received by those to whom they were directed.
The lord-lieutenant said: "It is enough for me, Mr. O'Car-
roll, that Lord Godolphin speaks of you in such high terms,
and I question not that he has thoroughly satisfied himself as
to your right to these estates. At the same time I should be
glad if you will give me a brief outline of how it is that you
never claimed them before, though perhaps it is as well that
you did not do so, for until the passions excited by the war had
somewhat subsided a friend of the Government would hardly
have interposed for the benefit of the son of one who had died
fighting for James."
Gerald had drawn up three copies of a statement containing
a precis of the case, and he handed one of these to the lord-
lieutenant, saying, "As the story is a somewhat long one, my
lord, I have written it down in order that you might read it
at your leisure."
"I will certainly do so, Mr. O'Carroll. I should like to be
personally acquainted with the details of the matter. It will
doubtless excite a considerable stir. It is, I believe, the first
time that a supporter of the Government has had to defend
his title against one of the family that fought on the other
side."
"It is hardly a case of royalist and rebel, sir, but the de-


GERALD O CARROLL
371
liberate action of a man suppressing all knowledge of the ex-
istence of his own nephew in order that he might himself
obtain the property of his dead brother. I have no doubt
that had it been known that I was in existence I should still
have been thrust aside in order to reward his adhesion to the
cause of William, but that would have made his position intol-
erable. As one who has changed his religion and his politics,
he is regarded as a traitor by the people of the barony and
avoided by all the gentry round; but the feeling would have
been infinitely stronger if it had been known that he was
keeping his own nephew out of his inheritance. My father
was, as I understand, immensely popular, and I doubt whether
his brother would have dared to show his face within fifty
miles of Kilkargan had it been known that not only was he
a traitor, hut a usurper."
The lord-lieutenant smiled. "I am not surprised at your
warmth, Mr. O'Carroll; but unfortunately your case is not a
solitary one. There are thousands of men in Ireland who
have suffered for the deeds of their fathers. However, I
shall understand the case better when I have read your state-
ment."
It was evident to Gerald that the lord chief justice, who had
taken a leading part in the prosecution and punishment of
persons known to be favourable to the Jacobite cause, was not
altogether pleased with Lord Godolphin's letter.
"A strange affair," he said; a "strange, and, as it appears
to me, an unfortunate business. However, sir," he went on,
with a changed tone, " I shall certainly do my best to see jus-
tice done in accordance with his lordship's request. I will
read carefully through this statement of your claim, and, after
considering it, place it in the hands of the crown lawyers.
But it seems to me that your own position here is a strange
one, and that you yourself are liable to arrest as a member


GERALD O'CARROIX
375
by this Mrs. Rooney to Kilkargan. That can be proved be-
yond all question; and the fact that your nurse was sent off
without having any conversation save with John O'Carroll
himself, would show how anxious he was that no one but him-
self should know her errand.
"I must say that you have shown great acumen in mus-
tering evidence of all kinds that would bear upon the question.
I say frankly that without this royal rescript, and the in-
fluence of these two noblemen, your chance, as James O'Car-
roll's son, of wresting your patrimony from the hands of your
uncle would be small indeed. Politics have, much more than
facts, to do with decisions here, but with such powerful cre-
dentials, and with the chief minister of England interfering
on your behalf, I think that there is no great doubt that you
will secure a judgment in your favour. When the facts are
known, the feeling of the greater portion of the population
will run strongly with you, and against this unnatural un-
cle of yours."
"I should be desirous, if possible, sir, of avoiding a pub-
lic trial that would bring discredit upon the name of my fam-
ily, and would, in the eyes of the supporters of the present
Government, act prejudicially to myself."
"You are quite right. How do you propose to proceed?"
"I was thinking, sir, of sending a statement to my uncle
similar to that which I laid before you, going somewhat fur-
ther into details, and promising that if he would surrender the
property to me and publicly acknowledge me as his nephew,
giving what reason he chose for having so long concealed his
knowledge of the fact, I would take no proceedings against
him, and would do my best to prevent any discredit falling
upon him."
"That would do very well," the kwyer said, "but I should
abstain from making any allusion to the protectors you have


376
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
gained. He will learn that soon enough, and it will be well
to see what his first impulse is. Do not mention the names
of the Duke of Berwick and the others, who have testified
to your likeness to your late father; simply say that many
of his comrades have recognized your likeness to him. It
is of no use showing him all the cards we have to play. I
should not send the letter by post, but by hand. If you like
I will despatch one of my own messengers down with it, with
instructions to bring back an answer, but not to say any-
thing, i'f questioned, as to his being in my employment"
The next morning the messenger started by coach forKil-
kargan. He returned four days later, bearing John O'Car-
roll's answer. It read as follows:—
Sir,—I have received your audacious letter, and proclaim
you to be an impostor, worthy of the severest punishment for
attempting to personate a son of my late brother. How-
ever, for the sake of my friendship for Mr. Kennedy, your
father, I give you twenty-four hours to leave the country, be-
fore laying any information against you, both as an impostor
and as a rebel who has served against the armies of Her Ma-
jesty. I shall, however, at once apply for a writ ordering
your arrest, which will be served upon you within twenty-
four hours of your receipt of this communication. I shall
also have this woman, your pretended nurse, arrested for per-
jury and conspiracy.
Gerald took this letter to the counsellor.
"That is exactly what I expected," he said after reading it.
"It shows the man in his true colours. We shall see what he
says when he learns who are employed against him, and what
protection you have obtained. My opinion is that before


GERALD OCARROLL
379
Lord Godolphin and the Earl of Galway have become my
patrons, that the queen has restored to me my rights, and
Mr. Counsellor Fergusson has taken up my case. He there-
fore declares that, as it was always his intention to restore
the estate to me as soon as I could safely return, he is now
ready to do so, and only hopes that I will not insist upon
his handing over the back rents, which indeed I question
whether I could do, as the estate was granted to him person-
ally by the Government. However, of course I shall not press
that. I shall be only too glad to obtain possession without
the scandal of having to show in the public courts that my
father's brother was a villain."
"The ould fox!" Mike exclaimed indignantly. "I felt
sure, when you told me what the counsellor had said, tha't he
would wriggle out of it somehow. I would give all the gold
pieces I have in my belt for half an hour's talk with him with
a good shillelah."
"Well, we can afford to let bygones be bygones, Mike.
And after all he did me a service unwittingly in sending me
over to France. In the first place, I had three years of stir-
ring life; in the next, I have made many good friends, and
have gained the patronage of two powerful noblemen, with-
out which I should have assuredly never come in for Kilkar-
gan at all."
"That is true for you, your honour. And without it I
might be still a private in O'Brien's regiment instead of being
your honour's body-servant."
"And friend, Mike."
"Yes, sir, as you are good enough to say so."
Mr. Fergusson put John O'Carroll's letter down with a
gesture of disgust after he had read it. "It is what might
have been expected from such a man," he said. "A traitor
to the cause he once adhered to, false to his religion, and a


380
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
usurper of his nephew's rights. At any rate, Mr. O'Carroll,
I congratulate you. It has prevented a grievous scandal from
being made public, and the large expenditure entailed by such
a case. You have now only to go down and take possession."
"I shall write to my uncle, and give him a week to clear out
and to make what explanation he chooses of the change."
Gerald wrote at once to his uncle. It was coldly worded,
and showed unmistakably that he was in no way deceived by
the professions in his letter. He told him that he considered
it fair that he should retain the savings he had made, as he
had personally been confirmed in the ownership of Kilkargan,
the Government being ignorant that his brother had left a son.
He said that he thought it would be more pleasant for both
of them that they should not meet, and wished therefore that
he would leave before his arrival to take possession.
John O'Carroll at once summoned the tenants, and aston-
ished them by informing them that he was glad to say he
was free at last to lay down the position he had held
as owner of Kilkargan. That his brother James had
left a son whom they all knew as Desmond Kennedy, but
whom he had been obliged to treat with coldness lest suspi-
cions should be excited as to his identity. Had this been
known, he would assuredly have been proscribed as the son of
a rebel, and debarred by law from any inheritance. He was
delighted to say that the time had come when he could pub-
licly acknowledge him and place him in possession of the es-
tate, as Tier Majesty had granted him a special indemnity
against the pains and penalties incurred by his father's act
of rebellion and treason, and had restored to him his full
rights.
A burst of cheering, such as had not been heard in Kilkar-
gan since James O'Carroll rode out at the head of a troop
raised among his tenantry to fight for King James, greeted


GERALD 0 CARKOLL
381
the announcement, and for the first time since that event
John O'Carroll was for the moment popular. Subsequent
reflection and their knowledge of his character soon dissipated
that feeling; but in their joy at the announced approaching
arrival of their new master, John O'Carroll rode away with
his followers without the manifestation of hostility that would
otherwise ha'e attended his departure. Bonfires blazed all
over the barony when Gerald rode in, accompanied by Mike.
The tenants and a number of the gentry who had known him
when a boy assembled at the castle to meet him, and even his
father could not have met with a more enthusiastic welcome
than that which was given him.
The next day Gerald wrote to the Duke of Berwick telling
him what had taken place and resigning his commission in
the Irish Brigade. "I intend," he said, " to abstain from all
part in politics. Although no condition was made in my par-
don for serving abroad and in the restoration of my estate, I
feel that, having accepted these favours, I must hold myself
aloof from all plots against Queen Anne, though my heart will
still be with him whom I hold to be my lawful sovereign.
Unless a large army from France was landed here, I believe
that any attempt at his restoration would only bringdown
fresh misery upon Ireland. But should a force land that
would render success almost a certainty, I should then, with
the great bulk of my countrymen, join it."
In due time he received an answer approving the course he
had taken. "I myself," the Duke said, "am under no de-
lusions. With the ten regiments of the Irish Brigade,
twenty thousand French troops, and arms sufficient to distrib-
ute to the whole country, I believe that Ireland and Scotland
might again come under the rule of the Stuarts, but nothing
short of such a force would be of any avail. So convinced
was I of this, that in 1691, after the successful defence of


382
IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
Limerick, I saw that the cause was for the time lost, and that
further resistance would only prove disastrous to Ireland. I
therefore resigned my command and went over to France, to
serve as a volunteer, and took no part in the war at home.
Therefore, I think that you are fully justified in the course
you have taken. When the present war, which I think is
approaching its end, terminates, and you can again visit
France, I trust that I shall see you; and I am sure that you
will receive the heartiest of welcomes from your comrades
in the Brigade."
Gerald followed out strictly the line he had laid down for
himself, and kept aloof from the plots and conspiracies that
for years agitated the country, entailing disaster upon all
concerned in them. Mike was installed as his body-servant
and major-domo of his household, and Norah Kooney as
housekeeper at the castle.
Three years later, in 1713, the treaty of Utrecht brought
the war to an end. Communications being restored between
the two countries, Gerald wrote to the Baron de Pointdexter
and told him of the changes which had taken place in his po-
sition.
He received a warm letter in reply, urging him to go over
and pay him and his son-in-law a visit.
But Gerald had had enough of travelling, and wrote to
say that he could not leave his estate, as there was much to
look after.
Letters were, however, frequently exchanged between them,
and when, three years later, Gerald married the daughter of
the Mr. Kennedy he had visited near Cork, a present of a su-
perb set of jewels, the joint gift of the baron and Monsieur
de la Vallee, arrived for the bride.
After the conclusion of the peace some of the Irish regi-
ments were disbanded, and as the British Government, wiser


384 IN THE HUSH BRIGADE
Scotland; and the terrible disasters that befell all who had
taken part in the movement showed him the wisdom of the
course he had adopted, of standing aloof from all intrigues
in favour of the descendants of James 1L
THE END


2
BOOKS FOR TOUNO PEOPLE
G. A. HENTY'S POPULAR STORIES FOR BOYS.
NEW VOLUMES FOR 1900-1901.
Mr. Bent;, the most popular writer of Books of Adventure In England, adds
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IN THE IRISH BRIGADE
By G. A. Henty. 12mo, $1.50.
Desmond Kennedy is a young Irish lad who left Ireland to join the
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BOOKS FOR YOTTNO PEOPLE
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BY G. A. HENTY.
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BY O. A. HENTY
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A Tale of the Exploits of Lord Cochrane in South American
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600SS rOR tOVSO PSOPLB
1
BY G. A. HENTY
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A KNIGHT OF THE WHITE CROSS
A Tale of the Siege of Rhodes. With 12 full-page Illustra-
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DROLL DOINGS
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WITH RIFLE AND BAYONET
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Paget. Crown 8vo, olivine edges. $1.50.
Jack tomerten, the hero of With Rifle and Bayonet, is an English
boy who chances to be spending a vacntion at the home of a school
friend in the Trausvaa. just before the outbreak of the Boer war. Jack
is the first Uitlander tc find actual evidence that the Boers are import-
ing arms and ammunition in large quantities, but the Boers soon learn
that he has discovered their secret and from that time his life is in
constant danger. The account of bis adventures and escapes during
this time and throughout the war makes one of the best war tales of
many years.
The story gives also the most Interesting details of Transvaal his-
tory, who the Boers were, how they came to settle the Transvaal, aud
the Government and customs that have arisen among them.
IN THE KING'S SERVICE
A Tale of Cromwell's Invasion of Ireland. With eight page
Illustrations by Stanley L. Wood. Crown 8vo, olivine
edges. $1.50.
Dick Granville is the eon of a Royalist who U driven from his home
In Cheshire and takes refuge at Castle Driscoe, in Ireland. When the
Parliamentary army crosses to Ireland young Dick Granville and his
cousin Join a body of Royalist horse. They take part in the defense of
Drogheda, only escaping from the slaughter there by a miracle, and
afterwards go through a series of thrilling adventures and narrow es-
capes in which Dick displays extraordinary skill and resource.
WITH SHIELD AND ASSEGAI
A Tale of the Zulu War. With 6 Illustrations by Stanley
L. Wood. Crown 8vo. $1.25.
Donald Stewart, the son of an English missionary in Zululand, when
at school In England, is wrongfully accused of theft. He runs away,
enlists in the British army, and is sent to Africa. There he learns that
his sister and a friend are in the hands of Cetewayo. Disguised as a
Zulu, he rescues the two girls ; and after the attack upon Ulundt, he
hears from a dying officer a confession of the theft of which he was ac-
cused.
FIGHTING THE MATABELE
By J. Chalmers. With 6 Illustrations by Stanley L. Wood.
12mo. $1.25.
A STOUT ENGLISH BOWMAN
Being a Story of Chivalry in the Days of Henry III. By
Edgar Pickering. With 6 illustrations. Price, $1.25.
IN PRESS-GANG DAYS
By Edgar Pickering. With 6 full page Illustrations by W.
S. Stacey. Crown 8vo. $1.25.


BOOKS FOR TOUSO PBOPLB
ill
BY KIRK MUNROE
MIDSHIPMAN STUART
Or, the Last Cruise of the Essex. A Tale of the War of
1812. Illustrated. 12mo, $1.25
IN PIRATE WATERS
A Tale of the American Navy. Illustrated hy I. W.
Tabkr. 12mo, $1.25.
The hero of the story becomes a midshipman in the navy just at
the time of the war with Tripoli. His own wild adventures among
the Turks and his love romance are thoroughly interwoven with the
stirring history of that time.
THE "WHITE CONQUERORS" SERIES
WITH CROCKETT AND BOWIE
Or, Fighting for the Lone Star Flag. A Tale of Texas..
With 8 full-page Illustrations T>y Victor PIbrard.
Crown 8vo, $1.25.
The story is of the Texas revolution in 1835, when American Texans
under Sam Houston, Bowie, Crockett and Travis, fought for relief
from the intolerable tyranny of the Mexican Santa Ana. The hero,
Rex Hardin, son of a Texan ranchman and graduate of an American
military school, takes a prominent part in the heroic defense of the
Alamo, and the final triumph at San Jacinto.
t THROUGH SWAMP AND GLADE
A Tale of the Seminole War. By Kirk Munroe. With 8
full-page Illustrations by V. PJbrard. Crown 8vo,$l.25.
Coacoochee, the hero of the story, is the son of Philip the chieftain
of the Seminoles. He grows up to lead his tribe in the long struggle
which resulted in the Indians being driven from the north of Florida
down to the distant southern wilderness.
AT WAR WITH PONTIAC
Or, The Totem of the Bear. A Tale of Redcoat and Red-
skin. By Kirk Munroe. With 8 full-page Illustra-
tions by J. Finnemore. Crown 8vo, $1.25.
A story when the shores of Lake Erie were held by hostile Indiana
The hero, Donald Hester, goes in search of his sister Edith, who has
l>een captured by t.h» Indiana Strange and terrible are his experi-
ences ; ior ne is wounded, taken prisoner, condemned to be burned, but
'■ontrives to escape. In the end all things terminate happily.
THE WHITE CONQUERORS
A Tale of Toltec and Aztec. By Kirk Munroe. With 8
full-page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, $1.25.
This story deals with the Conquest of Mexico by Cortes and his
Spaniards, the "White Conquerors," who, after many deeds of valor,
pushed their way into the great Aztec kingdom and established their
power in the wondrous city where Montezuma reigned In splendor.


BOOKS FOR TOUXQ PSOPLh
BY DR. CORDON STABLES
COURAGE TRUE HEART
A Brilliant New Story of Danger and Daring on the Sea. By
Gordon Stables, M.D., CM. Illustrated, crown 8vo,
$1.25.
A NAVAL CADET
A Story of Adventure by Sea. By Gordon Stables, M.D.,
CM. Illustrated, crown 8vo, $1.25.
FOR LIFE AND LIBERTY
A Story of Battle by Land and Sea. By Gordon Stables,
M.D., CM. With 8 full-page Illustrations by Sidney
Paget. 12mo, $1.50.
•
The story of an English bov who runs from home and joins the south-
ern arm; in the late Civil War. His chum enters the navy, and their
various adventures are set forth with great vigor and interest.
TO GREENLAND AND THE POLE
A Story of Adventure in the Arctic Regions. By Gordon
Stables, M.D., CM. With 8 full-page Illustrations by
G. C Hindley, and a Map. Crown 8vo, olivine edges,
$1.50.
The author is himself an old Arctio voyager, and he deals with deer-
hunting in Norway, sealing in the Arctio Seas, bear-stalking on the
ice-floes, the hardships of a journey across Greenland, and a successful
voyage to the back of the North Pole.
WESTWARD WITH COLUMBUS
By Gordon Stables, M.D., CM. With 8 full-page Illustra-
tions by Alfred Pearse. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50.
The hero of this story is Columbus himself. His career is traced from
boyhood onward through the many hazardous enterprises in which he
was at various times engaged. The narrative deals chiefly, however,
with the great naval venture which resulted in the discovery of the
American continent.
TWDCT SCHOOL AND COLLEGE
A, Tale of Self-reliance. By Gordon Stables, M.D., CM.
With 8 full-page Illustrations by W. Parkinson. Crown
8vo, olivine edges, $1.50.


BOOKS FOR TOtntO PBOPLS
BY HARRY COLLINQWOOD
THE LOG OF A PRIVATEERSMAN
By Harry Colltngwood. With 12 full-page Illustrations by
W. Rainey, R.I. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50.
In the war between Napoleon and the British, many privateers were
sent out from England to seize and destroy the French merchant vessels.
On one of these George Bowen went as second mate. Long distance
duels at sea, fights at close quarters, tierce boarding attacks, capture and
recapture, flight and pursuit, storm and wreck, fire at sea and days with-
out food or water in a small boat on the ocean, are some of the many
thrilling experiences oar hero passed through.
THE LOG OF "THE FLYING FISH."
A Story of Aerial and Submarine Peril and Adventure. By
Harry Colungwood. With 12 full-page Illustrations by
Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, $1.00.
In this story the aim of the author has been, not only to interest and
amuse, but also to stimulate a taste for scientific study.
THE MISSING MERCHANTMAN.
By Harry Colltngwood. With 6 full-page Pictures by W.
H. Ovebend. Crown 8vo, $1.00.
A fine Australian clipper is seized by the crew, the passengers are
landed on one deserted island, the captain and a junior officer on another;
and the young hero of the story is kept on board to navigate the ship,
which the mutineers refit as a private vessel. After many adventures
Ned succeeded in carrying off the ship, and in picking up the captain
and the passengers.
THE CONGO ROVERS
A Tale of the Slave Squadron. By Harry Collingwood.
With 8 full-page Illustrations by J. Scb6nberg. Crown
8vo, olivine edges, $1.50.
The scene of this thrilling tale is laid on the west coast of Africa
among the slavers.
THE ROVER'S SECRET
A Tale of the Pirate Cays and Lagoons of Cuba. By Harry
Colldjgwood. With 6 full-page Illustrations by W. C.
Symons. Crown 8vo, $1.00.
The hero of " The Rover's Secret," a young officer of the British navy,
narrates his peculiar experiences in childhood and his subsequent perils
and achievements.
THE PIRATE ISLAND
A Story of the South Pacific. By Harry Collingwood.
Illustrated by 8 full-page Pictures by C. J. Stantland
and J. R. Wells. Olivine edges. Crown 8vo, $1.50.
This story details the adventures of a lad who was found in his infancy
on board a wreck, and is adopted by a fisherman. Going to sea, he
forms one of a party who, after being burned out of their ship, are
picked up by a pirate brig and taken to the "Pirate Island," where
they have many thrilling adventures.


34
BOOKS FOB TOrmO PEOPLE
BY GEORGE MANVILLE FENN
"Mr. Pena is in the front rank of writers for boys."—Liverpool Mercury.
DICK <y THE FENS
A Romance of the Great East Swamp. With 12 full-page
Illustrations by Frank Dadd. Crown 8vo, $1.50.
BROWNSMITH'S BOY
With 6 page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, $1.00.
YUSSUF THE GUIDE
Being the Strange Story of Travels in Asia Minor. With
8 full page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, $1.00.
THE GOLDEN MAGNET
A Tale of the Land of the Incas. With 12 full-page Pic-
tures by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, $1.50.
NAT THE NATURALIST
A Boy's Adventures in the Eastern Seas. Illustrated by 8
full-page Pictures by George Browne. Crown 8vo,
olivine edges, $1.50.
QUICKSILVER
Or, A Boy with no Skid to his Wheel. With 10 full-page
Illustrations by Frank Dadd. Crown 8vo, $1.25.
DEVON BOYS
A Tale of the North Shore. With 12 full-page Illustra-
tions by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, $1.50.
MOTHER CAREY'S CHICKEN
Her Voyage to the Unknown Isle. With 8 full-page Illus-
trations. Crown 8vo, $1.00.
BUNYIP LAND
The Story of a Wild Journey in New Guinea. With 6
full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown
8vo, $1.25.
IN THE KING'S NAME
Or, The Cruise of the Keatrel. Illustrated by 12 full-page
Pictures by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, $1.50.
MENHARDOC
A Story of Cornish Nets and Mines. With 6 full-page
Illustrations by C. J. Staniland. Crown 8vo, $1.00.
PATIENCE WINS
Or, War in the Works. With 6 full-page niustrations.
Crown 8vo. $1.00.


BOOKS FOR TOU.VO PEOPLE
2fl
STORIES OF ADVENTURE BY SEA AND LAND
PARIS AT BAY
A Story of the Siege and the Commune. By Herbert
Hayens. With 8 full-page Illustrations by Stanley
L. Wood. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50.
THE TURKISH AUTOMATON
A Tale of the Time of Catharine the Great of Russia. By
Sheila E. Braine. With 6 full-page Illustrations by
William Rainey, R. I. Crown 8vo, $1.25.
A MYSTERY OF THE PACIFIC
By Oliphant Smeaton. With 8 Illustrations by Wal
Paget. 12mo, olivine edges, $1.50.
GOLD, GOLD, IN CARIBOO
A Story of Adventure in British Columbia. By Clive
Phillipps-Wolley. With 6 full-page Illustrations by
G. C. Hindley. Crown 8vo, $1.25.
HIS FIRST KANGAROO
An Australian Story for Boys. By Arthur Ferres. With 6
Illustrations by P. B. 8. Spener. Crown 8vo, $1.25.
SOU'WESTER AND SWORD
By Hugh St. Leger. With 6 full-page Illustrations by
Hal Hurst. Crown 8vo, $1.50.
WITH THE SEA KINGS
A Story of the Days of Lord Nelson. By F. H. Winder.
With 6 full-page Illustrations by W. S. Stacey.
Crown 8vo, $1.50.
THE WIGWAM AND THE WAR-PATH
Stories of the Red Indians. By Ascott R. Hope. Illustrated
by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, $1.00.
"Mr. Hope's 'Wigwam and War-path' Is notably good; it gives a
very vivid picture of life among the Indians."—Spectator.
THE SEVEN WISE SCHOLARS
By Ascott R. Hope. Illustrated by Gordon Browne. Square
8vo, $1.50.
YOUNG TRAVELLERS' TALES
By Ascott R. Hope. With 6 full-page Illustrations by H. J.
Draper. Crown 8vo, $1.25.


BOOKS FOR TO UNO PEOPLE
SOME BOOKS FOR GIRLS
THE REIGN OF THE PRINCESS NASKA
By Amelia Hutchison Stirling. With 55 Illustrations
by Paul Hardy. 12mo, $1.00.
THE WHISPERING WINDS
And the Tales that they Told. By Mary H. Debenham.
With 25 Illustrations by Paul Hardy. Crown 8ro, SI .00.
'1 We wish the winds would tell us stories like these."
—London Academy.
THINGS WILL TAKE A TURN
By Beatrice Habraden, author of "Ships that Pass in the
Night." Illustrated. 12mo, $1.00.
It is the story of a sunny-hearted child, Rosebud, who assists her
grandfather in his dusty, second-hand bookshop.
NAUGHTY MISS BUNNY
Her Tricks and Troubles. By Clara Mulholland. Illus-
trated. Crown 8vo, 75 cents.
"This naughty child is positively delightful."—Land and Water.
UNLUCKY
A Fragment of a Girl's Life. By Caroline Austin. Hlus-
trated. Crown 8vo, 75 cents.
A touching story of an unlucky girl at odds with her stepmother.
LAUGH AND LEARN
The Easiest Book of Nursery Lessons and Nursery Games.
By Jennbtt Humphreys. Charmingly Illustrated. Square
8vo, $1.25.
"One of the best books of the kind imaginable, full of practical teach-
ing in word and picture, and helping the little ones pleasantly along a
right royal road to learning."—Graphic
ADVENTURES IN TOYLAND
By Edith King Hall. With 8 Colored Plates and 72
other Illustrations by Alice B. Woodward. Square
8vo, $2.00.
The story of what a little girl heard and saw in a toy shop.


BOOKS FOR TO UNO PEOPLE
23
SOME BOOKS FOR GIRLS.
A NEWNHAM FRIENDSHIP
By Alice Stronach. With 6 Illustrations by Harold Cop-
ping. Crown 8vo. $1.25.
In A Nevmham Friendship we have a description of life at Newnham
College. Carol Martin, a third-year student, befriends a "fresher,"
Elspeth Macleod, a shy, sensitive Highland girl, who has worked her
way from a board school to college. The enmity of a fellow-student
and a mystery about some parodies cloud Elspeth's happiness for a
time. But the clouds clear. Men students play their part in the s ory,
and the closing chapters describe the work of some of the girls as
"social settlers" in the east of London.
THREE FAIR MAIDS
Or, The Burkes of Derrymore. By Katharine Tynan.
With 12 Illustrations by G. D. Hammond. Crown 8vo,
olivine edges. $1.50.
A story of Irish country life. The three fair maids are the daughters
of an impoverished Irish lady. Their father had been disinherited by
bis uncle for marrying against his wish. Sir Jasper's disinheritance
obliged them to give up their great house, Derrymore, but the family
Is ultimately reconciled with Uncle Peter, who makes Elizabeth his
heiress.
QUEEN CHARLOTTE'S MAIDENS
By Sarah Tytler, author of " Girl Neighbors." With 3 Il-
lustrations by Paul Hardy. 12mo. 75 cts.
GIRL NEIGHBORS
Or, The Old Fashion and the New. By Sarah Tytler.
With 8 full-page Illustrations by C. T. Garland. Crown
8vo. $1.00.
"Oirl Neighbors is a pleasant comedy, not so much of errors as of
prejudices got rid of, very healthy, very agreeable, and very well
written."—London Spectator.
THE HEIRESS OF COURTLEROY
By Anne Beale. With 8 page Illustrations by T. C. H.
Castle. Crown 8vo, cloth; elegant, olivine edges. $1.50.
"Miss Anne Beale relates how the young 'Helress of Courtleroy'
bad such good influence over her uncle as to win him from his in-
tensely selfish ways in regard to his tenants and others."—London
Qvardian.


BOOKS FOB YOUNO PEOPLE
SOME BOOKS FOR GIRLS.
CYNTHIA'S BONNET SHOP
By Rosa Mulholland. With 8 illustrations by Q. D. Ham-
mond. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50.
Cynthia, one of an Impoverished Connaught family, desires to make
money for the sake of her delicate mother. If she had only capital she
would open a millinery establishment in London. The capital is
mysteriously supplied, and the secret of the unknown benefactor is
kept to the end. How she finds new interests in life, more important
even than the bonuet shop, is described wilh mingled humor and pathos
In this charming story.
BY ROSA MULHOLLAND.
Banshee Castle.
Illustrated. Crown 8vo, $1.50.
The story of three bright and
lively young girls who fall heir to
an old castle in the west of Ireland.
Their struggles to live In It on
little money, and their strange ex-,
periences, are deeply interesting.
Four Little Mischiefs.
Illustrated. Crown 8vo, 75c.
"A charming bright story about
real children."— Watchman.
Giannetta.
A Girl's Story of Herself. Il-
lustrated. Crown 8vo, $1.50.
"Extremely well told and full
of interest."—Academy.
Hetty Gray:
Or, Nobody's Bairn. Illus-
strated. Crown 8vo, $1.00.
The Late Miss Hollingford.
Illustrated. Crown 8vo, 75c.
This story was a special favorite
of Charles Dickens, and the title
was chosen by him.
A GIRL'S LOYALTY
By Frances Armstrong. With 8 Illustrations by John H.
Bacon. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50.
Helen Grant received from her grandfather on his deathbed a secret
message. This influenced her whole life, but she was loyal to her
trust and to her friends.
A FAIR CLAIMANT
Being a Story for Girls. By Frances Armstrong. With 8
full-page Illustrations by Gertrude D. Hammond. Crown
8vo, olivine edges, $1.50.
An exiting story of a young girl, the rightful heir to a large fortune,
who has been kept out of It, but who most honorably regains it, after
much trial and difficulty.
THE TROUBLES OF TATTERS
And Other Stories. By Alice Talwin Morris. With 62
charming Illustrations in black and white by Alice B.
Woodward. Square 8vo, $1.25.
The author of these stories Is evidently able to talk with beasts and
birds m their own language, and here puts down the important infor-
mation gained, in a style that children will find absorbing and their
elders tender and sympathetic


32
BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
SOME BOOKS FOR GIRLS
BY ALICE CORKRAN
Down the Snow Stairs
Or, From Good-night to Good-
morning. By Alice Cork-
ran. With 60 character
Illustrations by Gordon
Browne. Square crown
8vo, olivine edges, $1.25.
"A gem of the first water, hear-
ing upon every one of its pages the
signet mark of genius. . . .
All Is told with such simplicity
and perfect naturalness that the
dream appears to be a solid reality.
It is indeed a little Pilgrim's
Progress."— Christian Leader.
Margery Merton's Girlhood
By Alice Corkran. With 6
full-page Illustrations by
Gordon Browne. Crown
8vo, $1.25.
The experience of an orphan
Irl who In infancy Is left by her
Jatber, an officer In India, to the
care of an elderly aunt residing
near Paris.
Joan's Adventures
At the North Pole and Else-
where. By Alice Corkran.
Illustrated. Crown 8vo, 75
cts.
A beautiful dream-land story.
Adventures of Mrs. 'Wishing-
to-Be
By Alice Corkran. With
3 full-page Pictures in
colors. Crown 8vo, 75 cts.
BY MRS. R. H. READ
Dora;
Or, A Girl without a Home.
Illustrated. Crown 8vo,
$1.25.
Nell's School Days
A Story of Town and Country.
By H. P. Gkthen. With 4
Illustrations. Price, $1.00.
Violet Vereker's Vanity
By Annie E. Armstrong.
With 6 Illustrations by G.
D. Hammond. Crown 8vo, .
$1.25.
Three Bright Girls
A Story of Chance and Mis-
chance. By Annie E. Arm-
strong. With 6 full-page
Illustrations by W. Park-
inson. Crown 8vo, $1.25.
"Among many good stories for
girls this is undoubtedly one of
the very best."—Teacherv Aid.
A Very Odd Girl
Life at the Gabled Farm
By Annie E. Armstrong.
With 6 full-page IHustra-
$1.25.
White Lilac
Or, the Queen of the May.
By Amy Walton. Illus-
trated. Crown 8vo, $1.00.
BY MARCARET PARKER
For the Sake of a Friend
A Story of School Life. Il-
lustrated. Crown 8vo, $1.00.
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS ^W^'