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they had already explained their plan of disguise to Madame Reynier,

and she had promised to provide all that was necessary and to obtain

the military pass for them.

They had soon reason to congratulate themselves that their stay

in Madrid was under the protection of French bayonets. During the

day after their arrival they remained quietly in barracks, as the

appearance of two Spanish peasants walking about the street with

French soldiers would have excited comments. In the evening, however,

they agreed with their friend the sergeant, who was going into the

town with three or four of his comrades, that they should accompany

them, not, however, walking actually with them, but following a few

paces behind, so as to be within reach of their assistance should any

one molest them.

They reached the Piazza del Sol, the great central square of Madrid,

without incident, and amused themselves with the sight of the constant

stream of people passing to and fro, the ladies in their graceful

black mantillas, the men in cloaks and Spanish sombreros, or round

felt hats. Presently the sergeant and his companions left the square,

and turning down one of the narrow streets which run into it, amused

themselves by looking into the shops, with their gay fans, bright

handkerchiefs, and other articles of Spanish manufacture.

Tom and Peter followed their example, keeping some ten paces behind

them. It was now nearly dark, and the streets were but badly lighted

except by the lamps in the shop windows.

"It may be all fancy, Tom," Peter said, "but I can't help thinking

that we are followed. There are three follows who have passed us

twice, and I am pretty sure they are particularly noticing us. Keep

your hand on your pistol."

As the boys paused at another shop window, the three men again

approached, this time from ahead.

"Look out, Tom," Peter said sharply.

As the men came up to them, one of them exclaimed,

"Now!"

The boys faced round, pistol in hand, with a cry to their friends,

just as the three Spaniards, with drawn knives, were upon them.

The sudden movement disconcerted them, and two sprang back from the

leveled tubes of the pistols, with fierce oaths of surprise, the

third, however, rushed in and struck at Tom; the latter instinctively

moved aside, and the knife inflicted a heavy gash on the shoulder, and

almost at the same moment Peter's bullet crashed through the fellow's

skull.

His comrades, with a cry of rage, rushed in, but before they could

strike, the sergeant was up and ran one through the body with his

sword, whereon the other fled. The whole affair lasted only three

or four seconds. In less than a minute the street was absolutely

deserted, for rows and fights were so common between the soldiers and

the people, that all prudent people got out of the way the moment a

knife was drawn.

"Well done, lad," the sergeant said to Peter, "I thought your brother

was done for. Luckily I had faced your way when the fellow attacked

you, and was on my way to help you before they began, but I feared I

should be too late. That was a wonderfully pretty snap shot of yours,

and you were as cool as old hands. Peste! I don't know what to make

of you boys. Now come along, we had better get away from this carrion

before any one comes up and asks questions. First, though, let me tie

up your shoulder."

This was soon done, and while the sergeant was engaged upon it, his

comrades, old soldiers, turned over the dead Spaniards, searched their

pockets, and chuckled as they found several gold pieces.

One or two French soldiers alone came near them before they left the

spot, attracted by the sound of the pistol. A word from the sergeant,

"These scoundrels attacked us, they have got their _coup_," satisfied

them, and the boys and their friend soon regained the crowded main

street, leaving the bodies for the watch to find and bury.

Arrived at the barracks, Tom's arm was examined by the surgeon, and

the cut pronounced a deep flesh wound, but of no consequence; it was

soon strapped up, and with his arm in a sling Tom went down to the

sergeant's quarters, where they slept. Here they had to go through

much patting on the back, for their friend had described the readiness

and coolness with which they stood at bay, and popular as they were

before they were now more so than ever. For the rest of their stay in

Madrid the boys did not stir out of barracks. One at least of Nunez's

envoys they knew to be alive, and he could enlist any number of the

lower class against them, so they resolved not to go out until they

should finally start.

After a fortnight's stay they were sent for to the colonel's quarters,

where they found Madame Reynier and her child. "I had a letter from my

husband this morning," she said, "from his camp near Cordova, thanking

you with all his heart for the inestimable service you rendered him,

and begging me to tell you that you can count on his gratitude to the

extent of his life at any and all times. You need no assurance of

mine. And now about your journey. All is prepared for you to leave

to-morrow morning. You are to come here to the colonel's quarters soon

after daybreak. Here are your two disguises, for the one as a young

bachelor of medicine, for the other as a young novice. Here is your

pass, signed by the minister, authorizing you both to pass on to your

relations at Ciudad Rodrigo, and to go unmolested thence where you

choose, also recommending you to the care of all French and Spanish

authorities. A regiment marches to-morrow morning for the frontier;

the colonel is a cousin of my husband. I have told him that some

friends of yours rendered me much kindness and service on my way down,

and that I particularly commend you to his care. He has promised to

allow you to follow the regiment, and to see that you get quarters at

each halting-place. He does not know you for anything but what you

appear to be. When you have put on these dresses to-morrow morning,

step out by the private door from these quarters, looking carefully

when you start to see that there is no one in the street. Then go

boldly to No. 15, Rue St. Geronimo; go into the courtyard, there you

will see two stout mules with all necessaries, under charge of a

soldier, who will have instructions to hand them over to you without

asking any questions; then go down to the Retiro and wait till the

16th come along. The Colonel will be on the look-out for you, and you

will ride up to him and hand him this note. And now farewell, dear

boys; never shall I forget you, or cease to pray for you, and may be

when this terrible war is over we may meet as friends again. Keep

these little tokens of remembrance of your grateful friends." So

saying, Madame Reynier pressed into the boys' hands two magnificent

gold watches and chains, held her child up for each of them to kiss,

threw her arms round their necks and kissed them herself, and then

drawing down her veil to conceal the tears which were standing in her

eyes, left them hastily.

That night the boys said good-by to their friend the sergeant, and

to those soldiers with whom they had most companionship. "You have

guessed, no doubt, sergeant," Tom said, in his mixture of Spanish and

French, "that we are not exactly what we seem to be, but if we should

ever meet again, under different circumstances, I want you to remember

that our connection with the regiment has been in a way forced upon

us. I should not like you to think, that is that under the pretence

of friendship, we have been treacherously learning things. Do you

understand?"

"I understand, mes braves," the sergeant said, "Jacques Pinteau is no

fool, and he saw from the first that you were not two ragged Spanish

peasant boys by birth. I daresay I can guess what you are, but there

need be no ill-will for that, and as you only came among us by

accident, as it were, there is no more to be said either way. There is

one thing certain, wherever or however we meet, we shall be friends."

So well were Madame Reynier's plans arranged that the boys passed from

Madrid to the frontier without a single hitch or unpleasantness. Tom

was soberly attired as a student at the university, Peter was muffled

up to the eyes as a timid young novice, going from school to enter a

convent, of which his aunt was lady superior, at Ciudad Rodrigo. The

colonel, and, following his example, the officers of the regiment were

polite and civil. The marches were of easy length, the mules stout

and smooth-going, with well-filled traveling sacks. The weather was

delightful, and the boys enjoyed the fortnight's march exceedingly.

Upon the road they learned that Massena had laid siege to Ciudad

Rodrigo, and that the 16th was on its way to join the besieging army.

It was the end of June, 1810, when the 16th joined Massena's force

before Ciudad Rodrigo. The siege had continued for some time, the

British light division, under General Craufurd, lay upon the other

side of the river Agueda, which separated them alike from the town and

the French army. The colonel of the 16th politely expressed to Tom his

regret that he could not, for the present, conduct them to their final

destination, but that he hoped that the gate would soon be open for

them. Tom thanked him for the civility which he had shown them upon

the road, and said that he would, with his sister, take up his abode

for the present a few miles from the beleaguered fortress. On leaving

the regiment the boys went higher up the Agueda to the little town of

Villar, where there was a bridge. This however, was watched by the

troops of both armies, and there was, at present, no chance of

affecting a passage.

CHAPTER XI.

THE FIGHT ON THE COA.

All through the winter of 1809-1810, Wellington had remained quietly

on the frontier of Portugal, engaged in disciplining his troops, many

of whom were raw drafts from the militia, in urging upon the home

Government the necessity of fresh reinforcements, if the war was to be

carried on with the smallest hopes of success, and in controversies

and disputes with the Portuguese regency. This body of incapables

starved their own army, refused supplies and transport to the British,

and behaved with such arrogance and insolence that Wellington was

several times driven to use the threat that, unless measures were

taken to keep the Portuguese troops from starving, and to supply food

to the British, he would put his army on board the transports at

Lisbon, and give up the struggle altogether.

Spring found the army still on the frontier, and when the French

advanced in force in May to lay siege to the Spanish frontier fortress

of Ciudad Rodrigo, Wellington to the intense disappointment of his own

troops, and the bitter anger of the Portuguese and Spaniards, refused

to fight a battle to save the fortress, which, under its gallant old

governor, Andrea Hernati, was defending itself nobly.

Wellington's position was, however, a very difficult one, and his

responsibilities were immense. Allowing for the detachments which were

massing to check three other French columns advancing in different

directions, he had but 25,000 men with which to attempt to raise the

siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, or to draw off the besieged garrison. Massena

had under him 60,000 French veterans, and was desiring nothing more

than that Wellington should attack him. The chances of victory then

were by no means strong, and in any case victory could only have been

purchased by a loss of men which would have completely crippled the

British general, and would have rendered it absolutely necessary for

him to fall back again at once. A defeat or even a heavy loss of

men, would have so dispirited the faint-hearted Government at home

that they would undoubtedly have recalled the whole expedition, and

resigned Portugal to its fate. Thus Wellington decided not to risk the

whole fate of the British army and of Portugal for merely a temporary

advantage, and so stood firm against the murmurs of his own troops,

the furious reproaches of the Portuguese and Spaniards, and the moving

entreaties for aid of the gallant governor of the besieged town.

At the same time that he refused to risk a general battle, he kept

Craufurd's division in advance of the Coa, and within two hours' march

of the enemy, thereby encouraging the garrison of Ciudad Rodrigo, and

preventing Massena from pushing forward a portion of his army while

the rest pursued the siege.

Craufurd's front was guarded by the Agueda, a river only passable by

two or three bridges and fords in wet weather, but fordable in many

places in the dry season. At the commencement of June the Agueda

fell, and the French crossed in strength at various places. Craufurd,

however, still maintained his position in front of the Coa with great

skill and boldness. He had under his command only 4000 infantry, 1100

cavalry, and six guns, and his maintenance of his position, almost

within gun-shot of an enemy's army, 60,000 strong, for three months,

is one of the finest feats of military audacity and ability ever

performed.

Until the 11th of July the boys remained quietly at a cottage occupied

by peasants, who believed their story that they were only waiting

to proceed when the French army advanced. They were freed from

molestation or inquiry upon the part of the French by the pass with

which Madame Reynier had supplied them.

Upon that day Ciudad Rodrigo surrendered, and Massena prepared at once

to enter Portugal. Upon the 21st the cavalry advanced in great force,

and upon the following day the boys resolved upon endeavoring to

rejoin the British army. The Agueda was now easily fordable in many

places, but the boys determined to swim across, at a distance from the

point at which the French army was now pouring forward.

As evening came on they left the cottage, and walked two miles up

the stream, and, as soon as night fell, took off the costumes which