第 26 页

Throughout the day they made feints of renewing the attack upon the

English position, and it was not until late in the afternoon that long

columns of men were seen crossing the hill to the left; and Wellington

discovered that Busaco had been won in vain, for that his flank was

turned, and there was nothing for it but to fall back upon Torres

Vedras. Before night the whole British army was in retreat.

"What a horrible scene of confusion," Tom remarked, as they marched

into the town of Coimbra next day.

"Confusion!" Captain Manley said; "it is enough to drive a

commander-in-chief out of his mind. Here Wellington has for weeks

been endeavoring to get the Portuguese Government to compel all the

population to retire upon Lisbon, carrying all they can, destroying

the mills, and burning all the corn they could not carry off. The

Government did issue the order, but it has taken no steps whatever to

carry it out, although they knew all along that we could never repel

the invasion in the open. As it is, the greater portion of these poor

wretches will lose all they possess, which they might have carried

off quietly enough during the last two months. Many of them will lose

their lives, and they will block the roads so that we shall have the

French down on us to a certainty."

Nothing could be more sad than the scene. The streets of Coimbra were

crowded with fugitives from the country round, and these, as well as

the inhabitants, were all preparing to push onwards towards Lisbon.

Bullock carts and carriages, mules, donkeys, and horses were crowded

together, all laden with the aged, the children, the sick, and such

property as was most portable and valuable. Happily Massena had

a circuitous detour to make; the road in the mountain defile was

scarcely passable, and throughout the march he displayed but little

energy; consequently it was not until the morning of the first of

October that his cavalry engaged those of the light division which was

covering the retreat. The division fell back through the town, and the

inhabitants, who had lingered to the last in some vague hope that the

French would not come, now rushed out again. The bridge behind the

town was choked, and the troops had to halt for some time. In the rear

the pistol shots of the cavalry told of the approach of the French,

and the din made by the panic-stricken fugitives was increased by the

yells of the prisoners shut up and forgotten in the prison hard by.

Their cries and supplications were too painful to be resisted, and the

British forced the prison doors and let them free. Once across the

bridge, the troops found the defile of Condeixa so choked up that it

was impossible to effect a passage, and, had the French pressed them

the division must have been destroyed.

The French infantry, however, had not arrived, and by night the road

was cleared, and the troops passed on.

There was no pursuit, for Massena allowed his troops to halt and

plunder Coimbra, and the British by easy marches, fell back to

Torres Vedras; but though unpursued, the disorder and relaxation of

discipline which always marks a retreat, showed itself, and Wellington

was obliged to hang several plunderers, and to resort to other severe

measures to restore to discipline that army which, only a week before,

had repulsed the best troops of France. Towards the end of the march

the French pressed them again, and Craufurd, with his light division,

had a narrow escape of being cut off.

Great was the satisfaction of the British troops when they took up the

position so carefully prepared for them; equally great the surprise of

Massena and the French army when they beheld the almost impregnable

line of redoubts and fortresses of whose very existence they had only

heard a confused rumor two or three days before. And yet formidable

as was the chain of forts occupied by the British, this was weak in

comparison to the second line, some five or six miles in the rear,

to which Wellington would have fallen back if driven from his first

position. This second position was indeed that which he had originally

intended to have taken up, the redoubts on the exterior range of hills

being intended as outposts; but, while Massena delayed his advance,

the outside line of fortifications had so grown and increased in

strength, that Wellington resolved to hold them in the first place.

There were, therefore, as will be seen by the plan, three lines of

defense. The first from Alhandra on the Tagus to Zizandre on the

sea-coast. This, following the windings of the hills, was twenty-nine

miles long; the second and main line was from Quintella on the Tagus

to the mouth of the San Lorenza, twenty-four miles in length; the

third, intended to cover an embarkation, in case of necessity,

extended from Passo d'Arcos on the Tagus to the town of Junquera on

the coast.

Massena spent some days in surveying the British position, and came to

the conclusion that it was too strong to be attacked. Had the order

of Wellington been carried out, and the whole country wasted of

provisions, the French army must have made a precipitate retreat to

avoid starvation, for they had no provisions or connection with Spain.

Wilson and Trant, with Portuguese levies, hung upon their rear, and

captured Coimbra, where Massena had left his sick and wounded, 5000 in

number, upon the very day after the main French army advanced from the

town. So vast were the supplies, however, left in the country that

Massena was able to take up his position, first immediately in front

of the British lines, and afterwards at Santarem, within a day's march

of them, and to maintain his army in food throughout the winter until

the beginning of March.

"Have you seen the _Gazette_, Scudamore?" Carruthers asked, rushing

into the tent one morning about a week after the regiment had settled

down in its tents on the heights of Torres Vedras.

"No; what's up?" Tom replied.

"There you are; you have both got your steps. Thomas Scudamore,

ensign, Norfolk Rangers, to be lieutenant, for distinguished services

in the field. Peter Scudamore, ditto, ditto. I wondered the chief had

done nothing for you after your journey through Spain."

"I am sure I did not expect anything," Tom answered, "and was quite

content when the colonel told us that Lord Wellington had said he was

pleased with the manner we had done our work. However, I am very glad;

but it is not pleasant going over five or six fellows' heads."

"Fortune of war," Carruthers said laughing. "Besides, two of them are

at the depot, Sankey is away on sick leave, and none of the three who

are senior to you here will ever set the Thames on fire. No, no, you

have fairly earned your step and no one can say a word against it."

The news soon spread, and the boys were heartily congratulated by all

the officers of the regiment on their promotion, which placed them

next on the list to Carruthers, who had previously been the junior

lieutenant. Promotion in those days was rapid, and after a severe

engagement an ensign only joined upon the previous week might find

himself a lieutenant, from the number of death vacancies caused in

the ranks above him. The Norfolk Rangers had not suffered heavily at

Talavera, or the boys might have had their lieutenant's rank before

this, without performing any exceptional services.

"I wish we could get two months' leave, Tom," Peter said that night.

"Of course it is impossible, but it would be jolly to drop in upon

Rhoda. By her letter she seems well and happy, and aunt is very kind

to her. It would be nice; and now we are lieutenants, aunt wouldn't

tell us to rub our shoes."

"No," Tom laughed, "or be afraid of our pelting her pigeons and

Minnie."

"No," Peter said. "Evidently she is coming round. Rhoda said that

since she has heard that we have got our commissions she has given

up prophesying once or twice a day that we shall come to a bad

end--probably hanging."

"Yes, and Rhoda said in her letter yesterday that aunt was quite

touched with those lace mantillas we got at Madrid, and sent off the

day after we rejoined, and actually remarked that, although we could

no longer be looked upon as boys, and seemed really as hair-brained

and fond of getting into scrapes as ever, yet it was evident that we

were good, kindly lads, and meant well at heart."

"I wish," Tom said, with a sudden burst of laughter, "that we could

dress in our old disguises, I as a student of theology you as a mild

young novice; what a lark we would have with her!" and the boys went

off into such shouts of laughter, that their aunt would have thought

them more scatter-brained than ever if she had heard them, while from

the tent of Captain Manley on one side, and of Carruthers and another

young officer on the other, came indignant expostulations, and

entreaties that they would keep quiet, and let other people go to

sleep.

CHAPTER XIII.

ALBUERA.

Very heavily did five months in the lines of Torres Vedras pass to the

Norfolk Rangers. When, in the beginning of November, Massena fell back

to Sautarem, the greater portion of the army followed him in readiness

for attack should any openings be found. Massena, however, entrenched

himself in a very strong position, and Wellington could no more attack

him than he could attack the lines of Torres Vedras; so that both

armies faced each other in inactivity until the beginning of March,

when Massena broke up his camp and began to retreat.

The Norfolk Rangers had been one of the regiments which had remained

in their quarters on Torres Vedras throughout the winter, and great

was the joy with which they received orders to strike their tents

and push on in pursuit. The retreat of Massena was masterly. Ney's

division covered the rear, and several sharp fights took place which

are known in history as the combats of Pombal, Redinha, Cazal Nova,

Foz d'Aronce, and Sabugal.

In most of these the enemy were driven from their position by the

British outflanking them and threatening their line of retreat; but in

the last, by a mistake of General Erskine, a portion of his division

attacked the enemy in rear, and, although vastly outnumbered, drove

him off from the crest he held with desperate valor. Wellington

himself said, "This was one of the most glorious actions British

troops were ever engaged in."

The next day the French crossed the Coa and Turones, and took up their

position under the guns of Ciudad Rodrigo, which they had left six

months before with the full assurance that they were going to conquer

Portugal, and drive the British into the sea. The invasion cost

Massena thirty thousand men, killed in battle, taken prisoners, or

dead from hardships, fatigues and fevers.

The Scudamores were not present at the battle of Sabugal, for on the

afternoon after the combat of Foz d'Aronce an orderly rode up to the

regiment and handed a note to the colonel. He read it, and at once

summoned the Scudamores at his side.

"An order from the commander-in-chief," he said, "for you to go to him

at once."

Following the orderly, the boys soon arrived at the cottage at which

Lord Wellington had established his headquarters.

"His lordship is with Lord Beresford," the aide-de-camp to whom they

gave their names said, "but the orders are that you are to be shown in

at once."

The lads were ushered into a small room, where, seated at a table,

were the commanders-in-chief of the British and the Portuguese troops.

"Young gentlemen," the former said, looking up with his keen piercing

eyes, "I have not seen you since your return from Spain. I am content

with what you did, and with the detailed report you sent me in. I

shall keep my eye upon you. Lord Beresford has asked me for two

officers as aides-de-camp, and he specially requires them to have a

perfect knowledge of Spanish. I have mentioned your names to him. It

is not often that I confidently recommend young officers, but from

what I know of you I have felt able to do so in the present case. You

will, with him, have opportunities of distinguishing yourselves

such as you could not have with your regiment. You accept the

appointments?"

Tom and Peter would far rather have remained with their regiment,

but they felt that, after what Lord Wellington had said, they could

not refuse; they consequently expressed at once their willingness

to serve, and their thanks to the general for his kindness in

recommending them.

"You can ride, I hope?" Lord Beresford, a powerfully-built,

pleasant-looking man, said.

"Yes, sir, we can both ride, but at present--"

"You have no horses, of course?" Lord Beresford put in. "I will

provide you with horses, and will assign servants to you from one of

the cavalry regiments with me. Will you join me at daybreak to-morrow?

we shall march at once."

There was a general expression of regret when the Scudamores informed

their comrades that they were again ordered on detached duty. As

to Sam, when Tom told him that he could not accompany them, he was

uproarious in his lamentations, and threatened to desert from his

regiment in order to follow them. At this the boys laughed, and told

Sam that he would be arrested and sent back before he had gone six

hours.

"I tink, Massa Tom, dat you might hab told de general dat you hab got

an fust-class serbent, and dat you bring him wid you."

"But we shall be mounted now, Sam, and must have mounted men with us.

You can't ride, you know."

"Yes, massa, dis child ride first-rate, he can."

"Why, Sam, I heard you say not long ago you had never ridden on a

horse all your life."

"Never hab, massa, dat's true 'nuff; but Sam sure he can ride. Berry

easy ting dat. Sit on saddle, one leg each side--not berry difficult

dat. Sam see tousand soldiers do dat ebery day; dey sit quite easy on