Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2017 17:52:47 +1300
From: arthur carkeek <artcart65@gmail.com>
Subject: drummer boy chapter 13 bk 2

DRUMMER BOY
CHAPTER 13
BOOK 2
THE ROAD NORTH
BY ARTHUR


Thomas enjoyed the family atmosphere of the dinner, there was fun and
laughter among the boys and adults and, for Thomas there seemed to be a
closeness he had not seen before; perhaps due to the pressure his father
had tried to raise him under.

At the end of the meal Thomas once again asked about Senor Forsca's
determination to stay away from banks and hold what Thomas assumed could be
a large amount of solid coin in his own house or grounds.

Senor Forsca soon invited Thomas to join him in seeing his family's small
vault. It was built out in the courtyard at the back of the house. Senor
Forsca led Thomas and the others outside to see his specially built
vault. It was of solid stone blocks and appeared to be about twenty years
old. The roof was made from thick slabs of slate instead of the normal
tiles; Senor Forsca told Thomas that the roof was made of slate to combat
anyone from trying to break in through the roof as it was tougher than
fired tiles.

The small building hidden at the back of the courtyard was about six feet
wide and eight feet long with a strong looking metal door at the front,
there were no windows and the small building looked solid and impenetrable.

Sitting outside the locked door was one of Senor Forsca's sons. Tucked into
his waist sash were a brace of large pistols and across his knees lay an
old style blunderbuss the barrel of which must have measured three inches
across; of the second son there was no sign. Senor Forsca smiled at his son
and then stepped to the metal door and gave a strange knock that was
obviously some type of signal. Thomas could just barely hear movement from
inside the small building and, within a few seconds, the sound of a heavy
bolt could be heard as another son unlocked the door for his father.

Thomas was led inside the small building and shown how it was set up, the
son inside was also armed with an ancient blunderbuss and brace of pistols;
anyone trying to get inside this building was in for a deadly reception
from the two sons. The interior of the building was again plain unfinished
stone but three walls were lined with heavy wooden shelving and a small
desk sat alone at the far end.

On the shelves were a number of wooden boxes, except for the top shelf on
the left wall; it held a large number of thick ledgers, again each one was
titled. All of the small wooden chests had good solid metal bands around
them and each had a paper tag with a name written clearly on each
one. Thomas looked at the orderly rows of shelves and marvelled at the
organisation. Senor Forsca began to explain it all to Thomas as he looked
around in the dim light of two small lamps.

"Don Thomasino, as you can see each box carries the name of the person or
company that it belongs to. The chests on the second shelf belong to myself
and my sons; as each one collects his wages for the month it is put into
his chest and he can withdraw from it at his leisure. On the lower shelf to
the left side are the chests that are your share of the profits from your
ships as well as the Captain and crews share. On the right side are the
shares that go to your agent in London and on the lower shelf are the
chests we use for new purchases of cargo; each of which is named for the
ship that carries those goods. My eldest is the one who organised it all
and to be quite frank, he is really the only one that fully understands how
it all works but I can assure you he will be able to account for every
single sou that has passed through his hands."

Thomas could only nod as he looked at what must be a full time job just to
keep track of everything; he also wondered what Major Jones would think of
the workings of this new vault. Thomas was truly impressed but was hesitant
to ask how much coin was held in the name of his Shipping Company; he was
saved the embarrassment of having to ask by Senor Forsca asking him if he
was interested in seeing his own chests.

Thomas nodded at the question but was not really expecting anything too
much as the company had only been going for a short time if measured
against long established companies that had been sailing the seas for more
than a hundred years.

Senor Forsca turned to his son and nodded towards a number of chests and
then held out his hand. The son reached into his thick warm coat and
produced a metal ring that held a number of thick heavy keys; handing it to
his father he went a pulled out four of the larger chests on the bottom
shelf on the left. For the first time, Thomas noted that the front of each
chest held the simple outline of a bulls head in black paint along with a
number from 1 to 4.

As Senor Forsca unlocked the first chest his son reached up and took down
four ledgers from the top shelf. As chest number 1 was unlocked, the son
gave one of the ledgers to his father who turned to Thomas and indicated
for him to look inside. The chest was three parts filled with small canvas
bags; each was tied firmly and placed neatly in rows; there were a lot of
small bags in the chest.

Senor Forsca then opened the ledger and showed Thomas all of the very
correct entries; each was dated and a ships name was marked in one of the
many columns that went across the page; there were a lot of pages that had
entries on them.

"Now Don Thomasino, this chest is the one for silver coins; each bag has
one hundred silver coins in it and here on the right hand column is the
running total of the chest. Chest number 2 is also silver but it is full so
we had to start with a second chest. Chest number 3 is gold coins and
number 4 is for the precious stones that are sometimes used for trade
instead of coin; we have some traders that prefer to use the stones instead
of coin. Do you wish to have the totals read for you?"

"No Thank you Senor Forsca, I am sure that everything is in order but it
does seem to be a lot of money for such a small company to have earned in
such a short time."

"Perhaps Don Thomasino but then your ships are carrying cargos that few
others have the ability or contacts to purchase; as I explained previously,
my family is very large and we do have certain advantages over others when
it comes to obtaining valuable cargo."

"I see, well then why was it you sold your Docks and warehouses, with those
sorts of contacts you should have been able to make a very good living
without having to sell?"

"Ah yes Don Thomasino, it may appear so but without the needed ships to
carry it then there is no use having any cargo in the first place and for
us to obtain ships was almost impossible and that is where you and your
good friend Senor Cruickshank came in. To be honest Don Thomasino, I am
relieved that the dock is sold; it now allows me more freedom and time with
my family. When Senor Cruickshank asked me to take over as manager it was
really a blessing in disguise; when the time comes for me to return to my
home in the north then I will have good sons to carry on your work here for
you."

"Then you hold no hard feelings for the loss of your docks?"

"Certainly not Don Thomasino; if there was a man worthy of taking
possession of the dock then it is yourself. When Senor Cruickshank told me
it was for the saviour of Portugal I found I could not resist his generous
offer; besides I must admit I am now making more coin than ever before as I
don't have the costs of victualling ships at my own cost nor am I
responsible for ship repairs if they are carrying my cargo. Do not fear Don
Thomasino, I will watch over your docks as though they were my own and my
sons I swear will follow on after I am gone. Now Don Thomasino, there is
only one last thing I would like to ask of you."

Thomas nodded as he watched the son relock the chests and push them back
into their places on the lower shelf.

"What would you like us to do with your share of the profits; if you wish I
can have them placed under guard and carried to your Hacienda or continue
to hold them here until you decide what should be done with them."

"I think for now Senor Forsca that it should all stay under your care; the
situation in Spain is still a little volatile and the French are not yet
beaten. If I may I will inform you about it all at a later date. Now then
Senor Forsca, I think it is time for my men and I to return to our beds;
tomorrow we will start our move north once again. I would like to pass on
our thanks to your kind wife and sons for all they have done for us and
hope that not too far in the future we can spend some more time with your
kind family."

"Thank you Don Thomasino, it is little compared to what you and your men
have done for Portugal."

Senor Forsca led Thomas from the vault and towards the gate where their
horses were miraculously waiting for them; the youngest son was holding
them all while he smiled at the important visitors. Thomas thanked the
youngest son and the once again thanked Senor Forsca for his hospitality
before turning his horse and leading his friends back to the Hacienda where
the rest of the troops waited for them; there was still a long way to go
before they would be in their new camp in the north; it was time to get
moving.

Once out of the environs of Oporto, Thomas turned his troops to the east
and set the horses to a trot; he hoped to make Moncorvo before the
following night closed in on them. It would be along ride and may even have
to continue into the dark of the night if he wanted to make the distance in
the two days he had planned. From Moncorvo he would lead his men northward
through the plains of the Traz os Montes and continue the ride until they
had the new camp site in view.

It was at times like these that Thomas truly began to appreciate the
talents of Major Smithson; his detailed maps made it easy to know where he
was at any one time and knowing the distance to the next objective could be
better planned and timed almost to the hour. As guessed Thomas and his
troops arrived at the outskirts of Moncorvo just before sun set on the
second day.

It had been a long and hard ride and both the horses and men need an extra
day of rest to recuperate but for now time was not a problem but the need
to avoid being pulled into unwanted situations with the people of Moncorvo
had to be avoided at all costs.

There was a need for a good solid guard to be kept around the camp site as
there was a soon a large number of the residents of Moncorvo that wanted to
meet or just stand and watch the men of El Toro the Patron and saviour of
Spain as they were wont to believe. Thomas only allowed a small number of
his men to venture into the town itself for the purpose of buying supplies
for the camp. In the early hours of the second morning, Thomas once again
led his men away from the town and directed their steps towards the north;
the plains of Traz os Montes now beckoned them forward.

As they travelled the wide open plains, Thomas was surprised at the lack of
people that they saw; there were a few small groups of farmers tending
sheep or goats but little else; it was as though the whole countryside was
setting in for the coming winter which Thomas and his men noticed more at
night than during the day. The troops moved steadily but not at too fast a
pace; they had plenty of time and knew they were now close enough to the
new camp site to not need push themselves or their horses.

Their new camp site was a good day's ride from Braganza and to the north in
a large open canyon. They had the mountains behind them which were almost
impassable where they were situated and the open plains to their front gave
them a good uninterrupted view for miles around. Thomas led his troops to
the east of Braganza close to the border line with Leon and then turned a
little west and north and made for the final stop on their long journey.

In the middle of the afternoon of the 25th of October, Thomas saw the tidy
lines of tents in the distance and the small runnels of smoke drifting
skyward from the early cooking fires. Spread across the front of the wide
canyon mouth were the twenty guns of Major Morgan's Artillery and Thomas
could just make out the smaller figures of his Infantry and gunners working
hard to build small redoubt walls in front of each gun for protection.

It did not take long for the encamped army to make out the dust raised by
the hooves of the horses which quickly became the familiar sight of dark
uniforms and well drilled ranks coming towards them. From somewhere inside
the tent camp came the sudden sound of the drums of the Originals as they
struck up the Del La Guerra in honour of the arrival of their commander.

As Thomas and the mounted troops rode into the camp he saw that they had
already resurrected their original old canvas tents and had them all
erected in a neat and tidy order. At the centre of the camp was once again
the central kitchen and mess hall and a separate six man tent had been
erected for Thomas to use as his command tent close by; just outside the
command tent flew the army's colours on a freshly cut flag pole.

As Thomas led the troops into the camp, he saw Lorenco waiting near his
command tent for him. Carmelo went with Thomas and dismounted while Estaban
led the others to the rear of the campsite where the horse lines had
already been prepared for them.

Fairley took Thomas and Carmelo's horses towards the rear of the camp and
followed along with the others while Thomas greeted Lorenco and
congratulated him on bringing all his men through unscathed; they had been
at the new site for only four days but had worked hard to make it ready in
time for Thomas's arrival.

For the next two days the army settled into their new home; the most
important thing they would need with the soon arrival of winter was a huge
amount of firewood; it was to this end that most of the men went out to
begin gathering everything they could find; winter under canvas was not for
the faint hearted.

While the men worked at gathering firewood, Thomas set about working on
plans for their raids into French held territory and at the same time
waiting for the return of Major Smithson and his small corps of map makers;
they had gone off into the province of Leon to investigate what and where
the French may be as well as make more maps for the new places they would
see.

Over the next week the camp became more and more secure and as yet there
had still not been any sign of Major Smithson's return; it was time for
Thomas to take other actions. After discussions with Estaban, Lorenco and
Carmelo, it was decided to send out two of the mounted Company's to scout
out the land over the border and see what they could find in the way of
French supply trains.

It was decided to send Pablo and Thomasino's Company's as they were the two
oldest and Estaban preferred to keep the younger Diego close by. The two
Companies' of Cavalry were to break up into ten man sections once they were
inside French held territory. Each ten man troop would carry supplies for
ten days and, once they were gone they were to make their own way back to
the camp and report to Thomas and the others on what they had or had not
seen.

There were strict orders that none of the smaller troops were to take any
actions against the French unless they were attacked first; even then they
were to fight only to escape and not stand just for the sake of revenge or
glory. With the orders given, the two Companies' left the camp the
following morning and, once past the outer limits of Braganza they turned
their faces towards the province of Leon and into Spain.

It was fully thirteen days before the first ten man troop rode into the new
camp; it took Thomas only a second to see one of the riders was injured but
still upright in his saddle. The rider had a rough and dirty sling holding
his left arm and there was a blotch of blood near his shoulder; Thomas
immediately called for Mister Jervis to look at the injured rider before he
called the young Sergeant who had led the small troop to come and make his
report.

Thomas led the way back to his command tent and then waited as the dust
covered young Sergeant began his report.

"Don General, we were sent north towards Astorga around the base of the
mountain range. We had been travelling for about four days and west of the
River Elsa when we saw a supply train travelling south on the east bank so
we decided to follow it. We kept our distance just as ordered and had been
following for only a day when we saw a large force of guerrillas attack it
from the north. As ordered we stayed well back and did not interfere but it
seems the guerrilla's had another smaller force that I did not see until
too late. As we had been ordered to avoid any fighting I tried to tell them
that we were on the same side but the leader wanted to take our weapons and
horses for himself; when I refused one of his men opened fire and wounded
trooper Belas. Under fire I immediately order my men to return fire and
escape back the way we had come from. Once clear of the other force I
determined that we should make our way back here without delay and make my
report."

"Thank you Sergeant, you did exactly the right thing; our men's lives are
far more important than trying to make friends at this stage. Did the
leader give you his name or anything we can use to identify him?"

"No Don General; as I said he just demanded our horses and equipment; I
don't know if he was going to let us go or not but I could not take that
chance."

"Very good Sergeant, take your men and get something to eat and tell them
to rest; we will have to wait for the other units to return and make their
report. Did you by any chance note how large the supply train was or where
it may be headed?"

"I did try to make a guess at their final stop Don General but it is only
my guess and the direction they were facing."

"Then tell me what you think, anything you can add may help us at some
time."

"Well Don General they appeared to come from the direction of Leon and the
way they were going I would say they were heading for the ford across the
Elsa and then through possibly to Sahagun or even further south to as far
as Medina de Rio Seca. If I was to make another guess Don General and
taking into account the small number of escort they were going to some type
of depot."

"Thank you again Sergeant, now go and get some well deserved rest. We can
now wait to see what some of the other troops have seen or taken note of."

Thomas looked up from the table he used for the maps Major Smithson had so
far made of the general area but there was none that had any detail of the
area the Sergeant had talked about; once again he would have to wait for
his map makers to return so he had better details. Thomas began to talk to
the other three as they went over the details they so far had from the
Sergeant. If there really was a large depot only a few days hard marching
from where they now were then it held some hope of hitting the French hard
and well behind their lines of supply, just as they had always tried to do.

The next morning provided another of the ten man patrols; they had been
working in the Sahagun area which bordered the River Carrion. Their report
was similar to the first in that they had also seen most of the supply
trains travelling further south. From this it was assumed that the
Sergeants observations of a large supply depot in the area near Medina de
Rio Seco could in fact be right, now they only had to wait for more
confirmation.

The next arrives were Major Smithson and his little gang of map makers;
Thomas did not miss the bloody bandages that some of them wore, especially
the one around Maketja's brow but they all seemed to be at least one or two
days old. Thomas decided to wait for their report until the wounded had
been seen to. Over the next two days the last of the patrols arrived back
with their reports and it was only two days after the last arrival that the
plans were begun.

Thomas, once he heard about the small fight that Major Smithson's men had
got into was not happy about what was going on; his men were not being
attacked by the French patrols but evidently by another group of Guerrillas
from the north; who they may be aligned with was any bodies guess but
Thomas was not happy about it. It was not long before Thomas found out why
he was having trouble from another group and it was not too his liking.

Two days after the last patrol arrived back, Thomas suddenly heard a loud
piercing whistle from high above the camp; it was one of Lorenco's
Sharpshooters who had been placed above as a guard. The four Senior
Officers looked up to where the man had been hidden among the rocks of the
steep slope. It did not take long for the hand signals from the guard to
indicate they had a large party riding towards the camp.

When asked by the same means, the guard indicated the group was a good
three miles away but approaching fast. Lorenco signalled for the guard to
come down quickly and tell everything he had seen. Thomas and the others
watched as the young guard almost threw caution to the winds and came
charging down the steep slope without a care for his own safety.

It was only a minute before the young guard was standing in front of them
breathless but still trying to speak through his panting breath.

"Sir, riders; a large group about three miles out and coming this way. They
don't look like French but they also look as though they mean business."

"Major Morgan, stand your men to the guns. Estaban take your Cavalry to
just behind the guns and get them ready. Carmelo get both Companies' of
Infantry ready but go to ground so you can't be seen. Lorenco can you get
your Sharpshooters up high on both flanks them come back here with me; we
will go out and meet them before the guns, if they try anything then we
turn and run back here and let the guns do their work.

Thomas did not even flinch as he called out orders and the camp suddenly
became a place of running men and boys as they got ready for whatever might
come. Thomas called for the colours to be raised and flown while he waited
for his horse and checked his own weapons out of habit. As soon as Lorenco
had returned from giving his orders, he and Thomas mounted the waiting
horses and; accompanied by a ten man guard, rode two hundred yards to the
front of the guns but on the very edge of the left flank to await the
oncoming riders.

Thomas glanced behind him to look at the camp; it was pleasing to see the
twenty guns all manned and ready and the three hundred men of the Cavalry
sitting patiently behind them. As yet Thomas did not have a full count of
the men approaching his camp but he was not going to take any chances with
being suddenly overrun.

It was not long before Thomas could at first hear the approaching riders
and start to see the first of them begin to appear up over the gentle rise
of the land. Thomas tried to do a quick count but; as more and more riders
appeared he gave up but was sure there had to be more than a hundred; the
numbers still favoured him at this point.

Thomas led his small party a little forward so that whoever was leading
this group could see he was there to talk or was the leader of these men
and wanted to speak first. The large group of newcomers first saw the small
mounted group but then only seconds later spied the semi circle of heavy
guns aimed in their direction. Thomas let a small smile form on his lips as
he saw the riders suddenly start to slow their horses as they saw the guns
for the first time.

Thomas took note of the heavy set man at the head of the group as he raised
a hand and stopped the group some one hundred yards from where Thomas sat
waiting; even the French would not have attempted to take the camp with so
many heavy guns looking right down their throats and with a large mass of
Cavalry armed and ready to charge it would have not only foolish but
deadly.

The two groups sat looking at each other; Thomas waited patiently for the
other man to move first, he was not about to give up his ground or
advantage by moving even further out into the open.

It took another two minutes before Thomas saw the man he assumed was the
leader, shrug his shoulders and call ten others to his side; once the
others had joined the man they began to ride slowly towards Thomas but kept
their hands well away from any weapons.

Thomas examined the man as he drew closer. He was a solidly built man with
a rough beard and looked to be in his middle years, the men with him looked
to be cut from the same cloth and it was evident that none of them were
happy just at the moment but they seemed to acknowledge that they had
little choice if they wanted to find out more about this small army that
had camped near Braganza.

As the leader drew to a stop just a matter of ten yards from where Thomas
and his friends waited and his own men took up a position close behind; he
looked at the party now close in front. Slowly a gap toothed smile spread
over the man's face as he looked at the men he had to deal with. When the
man began to speak he immediately noticed the northern Castile accent which
was different from his own High Catalan.

The man edged his horse a few steps closer and watched the young man as he
looked Thomas up and down before speaking.

"It would seem the ghost stories might be true after all. Am I right in
thinking you are the infamous Patron El Toro?"

Thomas looked the man straight in the eye as he casually placed his right
hand on his hip and only inches from one of his Manton's as he just nodded
without speaking.

"Then El Toro I would ask you what you and your men are doing on my lands?"

"Your Lands?"

"Yes my Lands. I am the famous Stephano Samosa; all of Castile belongs to
me."

Thomas did not miss the name or the subtle hint of trouble in the man's eye
as he said his name. With little reaction from Thomas, Stephano Samosa
continued but this time with a little more steel in his voice.

"You do not recognise the name? I am surprised El Toro; after all it was
you or some of your men that murdered my cousin but that is something we
can discuss at a later time, for now I have something else to ask you
about."

Again Thomas stayed silent as Stephano looked at what lay in front of him;
he did not miss the fact that the gunners seemed to be holding canister
shot ready at the barrels of the guns nor that the Cavalry were all holding
their muskets at the ready on their thighs. The hidden Infantry was totally
missed by Stephano.

"You do understand my words do you not El Toro? I was told you speak our
language and yet you have no words of greeting for me; it would seem most
unfriendly for one of your reputation."

"What is it you want Senor Samosa?"

"Why compensation of course. Your men made a number of attacks on my own
men and I am here to collect what is owed for their deaths."

"What makes you think you are owed anything Senor?"

"As I have already said, Castile is mine; you shot some of my men and you
owe us the taxes for their deaths. I will make it easy for you El Toro; you
will give me ten of your guns and fifty of your horses and then we can
speak more of what you owe for my cousins death at your hands."

"The reports I have had are that your men fired on mine, even after they
made an offer of friendship; perhaps it would be better for you to pay me
so we do not leave your bones on this valley floor."

"Ahh...El Toro, you must be gravely mistaken, my men would not fire on
anyone without my say so. Perhaps it was just a stray warning shot and your
men misinterpreted it."

"I have a total of seven men injured by your muskets Senor; there was no
mistake on your part. Now if you have nothing further I would suggest you
leave before my gunners become impatient and decide to fire a few warning
shots."

"Are you making with a threat El Toro; I am here only to see justice done
and am being most friendly even though I personally have lost family blood
to those street urchins you call an army."

"Senor Samosa, what your brother did cost innocent lives, many of which he
and his men took; his ending was a result of his own savagery. If you wish
to cause a fight here then we will happily fulfil your wishes but you will
get nothing from us. We are here to fight the French if you want to side
with them then you also will be on our list as those who work against Spain
and will be treated like any traitor."

"El Toro, I came here in friendship and all I get is hostility; I must warn
you that you do not know what you are facing. If you persist in your
hostile ways I will have to bring my whole army down upon your heads and
that you will not survive. You may not know but I can call on two hundred
and fifty of the toughest men in Spain and against your little boys it
would be nothing but an hour of entertainment for them."

"Is that all you have to say Senor Samosa? If so then I would ask you to
leave while you still can."

"Very good El Toro, if that is what you want then so be it; I only hope you
have enough coffins to bury you all when I return. I know the French may
not have been able to settle your ways but I and my men are a far different
basket of fish. Until we meet again Patron El Toro, I hope you can enjoy
the rest of your short life."

Thomas did not relax as he watched Samosa turn about and lead the men back
to the main throng; it was not until they had disappeared totally that
Thomas turned his horse back towards the camp. No one heard him swear under
his breath, now he had one more enemy to watch his back for; he would have
to now deal with Samosa as well as the French.

As the men stood down from the visit of the man known as Stephano Samosa,
Thomas called for his three friends; they would now have to make plans to
fix the new problem with the bandit. Thomas asked for the advice of all
three as they sat under the small leaf of his tent. The sun was just a
glimmer in the overcast sky but there was still humidity in the air.

"Patron!" Asked Carmelo. "I think it would be good idea to have someone
follow Samosa and see if we can find his camp or where he holds the bulk of
his army if he has such a thing."

"Yes Carmelo, I think you are right but who would be best for such a
dangerous task, we need someone who knows the lay of the land but is also
cunning enough to stay out of Samosa's clutches so he can get back to us
and report."

"If Maketja was not injured I would suggest he go." Estaban said. "But they
would only have to see his bandage or injury to know who he was; however
there are two others who may be what we are looking for and have the
cunning and ability to not be caught."

"And who are they Estaban?"

"Why Sergio and Carlito Patron, they are still the best we have at
disappearing in plain sight and can follow any trail at any time. With
Samosa having so many men with him today the trail will be easy to follow
from a distance and your two sons should be safe as long as they do not
close the distance during daylight hours."

Thomas thought about the suggestion and truth be told he could not think of
any other way if he wanted to find Samosa's camp. Thomas looked at his
three friends just in case they had anything else to say; when they stayed
silent he sent word for his two young Captains to come and see him.

With the arrival of Sergio and Carlito Thomas set out what he was wanting
and asked the two smiling youngsters what they thought, their answer was
almost immediate.

"When shall we leave Papa; it would be best not to let them get too far in
advance of us?"

"I only ask that you both take all the care you can, the man is dangerous
and I want you both back here in good health. Just try to see where he is
camped and how long he may stay there; winter is almost on us and he may be
making plans to settle in for some time but; at the first sign of trouble
you ride back here at top speed and do not wait for anything."

Both youngsters nodded and left in a hurry to get ready; Thomas sent word
to the kitchen to ready same food for the pair to take with them, there was
also an extra issue of powder and shot for each of the youngsters. Less
than thirty minutes had passed before Sergio and Carlito were disappearing
into the vastness of the plains on the trail of Stephano Samosa.

As the afternoon passed without incident, Thomas and his army used the time
to get better settled for the coming winter, there was still much to be
done before they could see out the bad weather in some little comfort. The
plans for the large supply depot at somewhere around Medina de Rio Seco
were now well underway; there was only the need to make sure of its
position before they took direct action.

Three days after the two boys had left to track Samosa, Thomas sent a troop
of twenty Cavalry towards the south, they were to look for the presumed
depot and report back when they had something more positive, until then
Thomas and his men could only sit in the camp and wait until they got word.

It was fourteen days before they finally saw two lonely, dirty and hungry
youngsters riding towards the camp. They were still both dressed in peasant
rags but they had their weapons at the ready as they rode closer and Thomas
could see the tiredness on both faces; they had been pushing themselves
hard but Thomas was glad to see them both safe once more.

During the time the two boys had been away Thomas had worried every minute
and, even though he tried to hide it from the others; usually without
success, he wasted no time in calling for the kitchen hands to cook
something hot for the duo.

Sergio and Carlito sighed as they dismounted in front of Thomas's tent; he
could immediately see how worn out they were but there was a sparkle in
their eyes as they made a wide bright smile for their adopted Papa.

"We are home Papa and we have good news for you."

"Come on you two, sit down here and tell me what you got up to and what you
found. I have the kitchen cooking food for you now so there is a little
time for you to tell all."

The two boys almost groaned as they sat on the waiting chairs; as they did
so there were suddenly a large number of others beginning to surround the
tent to listen to the boy's escapades.

"We have found him and his camp Papa, it was not difficult as we stayed
well back so they would not see us. Samosa was in a hurry and did not watch
his back trail as he should have so it was easier. Papa he is an evil man,
just like his cousin was. He would raid any farm on his way for supplies
and animals and leave nothing for the people; if they resisted he would
kill them, it was a bad time for some." Carlito told him; it was then
Sergio's turn to report some of what they had seen.

"We tracked him all the way to Miranda on the Navarre border; it is there
he has his main camp and has taken over the town for his own use. On the
second day after he got there we changed our clothes for some of the boys
in the town and went to look closer. His powder store is in a large barn
close to the only tavern but he may now have more trouble than he thought."

Thomas only had to take a glance at the smiling face of Carlito to know the
two boys had been up to something they were not meant to do.

"And?" Thomas asked with a raised eyebrow.

Carlito again took up the story.

"It would seem Papa that during the fourth night a great storm came and
somehow the tiles on the barn were very loose and many fell from the roof;
it was such a waste to see all those barrels of powder get wet and useless,
I don't know how they were all open to the rain but it would appear that
the tops of the barrels had all been split open at some time and the rain
wet the powder badly."

Sergio took over once again with the same wide smile as Carlito.

"The next morning the rain was still heavy and the Senor Samosa got very
angry with his men when he saw the tiles lying on the ground all broken so
he went into the barn and saw how all his powder was now lost; were his men
of good character we may have felt sadness for the five he shot for letting
the powder be destroyed; it was a very sad thing to see Papa."

Thomas did his best to keep a stern look on his face as he looked the two
up and down before saying.

"I thought your orders were to only watch then come back and report; if
Samosa had caught you inside his town you may even now be in small pieces
to feed his pigs."

Thomas did his best to keep the forming smile off his face as the two boys
looked up at him with total innocence before Sergio spoke again.

"Us Papa, what did we do but follow your very good orders; although I must
admit that it was careless of us to slip on those tiles that caused the
powder to be ruined but, had the rain not come then he may still have
enough powder to fight you, now he will have to find some more and it would
give a good Officer with many men time to destroy his badness while he has
little to fire back with."

Thomas had to relent as the two boys refused to back down from their
devious plan. Before Thomas could say more, two of the scullery boys
arrived with two plates piled high with hot food. Carlito and Sergio were
eating even before the plates landed on the small table in front of them.

Thomas stood to the side as the two hungry boys shovelled the food into
their mouths; most of the time swallowing without chewing first, Thomas had
no idea how long it had been since the boys had last eaten but it had to be
a number of days.

Thomas called for his three friends; he felt sure that he had to stop
Samosa well before taking on the French Depot or he may have an enemy
behind his back and his winter camp would be in danger while his other men
were away. As the two boys began to slow their eating, Thomas asked them.

"So how many men do you think he has with him?"

"When we first found him he had many; we think about three hundred but it
was hard to count the exact number as some went and others came. When we
left there were many who looked to have left for the winter to return to
their own homes until next year but he still has a large number with him;
perhaps two hundred and fifty. He does not have any big guns and many of
his men only have pistolas and no muskets; we counted perhaps one hundred
muskets but some exchanged with others so it was hard to tell the right
number."

"You both did good even if you did forget my orders for a short time but
even then it is a good result, I am proud of you both so when you have
finished your food you had better get some rest and change into warm
clothes; tonight feels like we might have snow up in the mountains."

Thomas turned back to his three friends to ask what they thought about
going after Samosa very soon and before he could get new dry powder but,
before any final plans could be made they had to look over Major Smithson's
maps and see what he had on that area.

It was two days before they finally had a workable plan. The plan would now
depend on their ability to move quickly and unobserved as much as they
could but at the same time they needed to leave their winter camp as well
protected as possible; Thomas was not about to let Stephano Samosa come and
attack his men while he and the others were out hunting him in Miranda.

Knowing that the man was now low on powder might just be enough reason for
him to try to take everything Thomas and his army had. Thomas was not about
to give him the chance.

The plan called for two Companies of Cavalry and ten of the guns to go
after Samosa while the two Infantry Companies and the other Cavalry Company
stayed with the last ten guns as well as the rockets of the 5th
Battery. Lorenco's men would be split between the two forces, those staying
at the camp would be watching from the heights while the others did what
they do best and work at the van of the main body that was going to
Miranda.

For the last three days the sky had been overcast and the visibility had
been low even in the middle of the day. It was almost a good time to get
going; for Thomas and the others, the worse the weather the less chance of
being seen or caught out by anyone who might report to Samosa. There would
be no wagons for supplies, everything they would need would have to be
carried by the men or mules and that could mean there were going to be some
hungry men by the time they wanted to return home but Thomas could see no
other way around the problem.

Next day was spent preparing to move against Stephano Samosa; they would
leave the camp the very next morning and ride hard to make the distance
hopefully before Samosa knew they were coming. Thomas at this stage was not
aware that they were in for one of the worst winters for fifty years but it
would all mean his plans went far better than he thought it would.

It was still dark when the men began to form for the move to the east;
every member of the troops moving east had rechecked their weapons to make
sure their muskets had their leather caps on the barrels to stop the rain
from making the barrels too wet to use, the covers for the hammers were
also checked. The ten heavy guns were also checked and covered and the
mules they were going to use to carry the extra powder and supplies were
already starting to move out right behind the vanguard of Lorenco's men.

The weather had not decided to be kind and the rain swept over the ground
in wavering sheets as the long column disappeared from the view of those
still in the camp where Carmelo had been put in charge to make sure the
camp stayed safe.

The ten guns going with Thomas had been given an extra pair of horses to
pull them as the ground was going to be a thick quagmire in very short time
and they had little time to wait for bogged guns to be freed.

To avoid the rough road between their camp and the outskirts of Braganza
from being too badly cut up for the guns; Thomas set them at the head of
the march and directly behind Lorenco's vanguard. With the mules and
Cavalry following behind the guns, the column moved faster than they would
have had the guns been in their usual place at the rear.

Even though the road was narrow and soon cut up badly they were able to
move around Braganza under the shadow of the sweeping rain storm without
being seen; their next challenge would be crossing the Esla which they
hoped to get to sometime in the night hours; there were no plans to stop
for nightfall as long as they had the cover of the storm.

Midnight found the column sheltering as best they could on the banks of the
Esla River; with the storm still blowing it was too dangerous to attempt a
crossing in the dark. The one surprise for Thomas and his men was the good
condition of the road from Braganza to the banks of the Esla; it had made
for easy travelling for the guns as it was well built and quite solid.

In the first light of dawn the storm had lessened and was now only a light
misty drizzle. The ford was a little high but as yet was still passable by
the guns. Thomas sent half of one Company of Cavalry across first as a
guard and then had the guns cross as fast as they could; the extra pair of
horses making the job of beating the faster flow of the current much safer
and easier.

At the first sign of a somewhat watery sun poked its head above the distant
mountains; Thomas turned the column further to the east and north as the
dark clouds over the far off mountains threatened more rain in the not too
distant future. Thomas tried not to worry too much at the bad signs; they
still had the River Carrion and another tributary of the River Douro to
master before they could turn even further north for the final push to
Miranda and what awaited them there.

Having to scout south of Sahagun to avoid any chance of being seen; Thomas
and his column now became slowed by the absence of any form of solid
roadway, the small tracks were soon turned into quagmires by the fast
moving guns and the hundreds of hooves; their chances of making their daily
estimated distance of 70 miles a day were now cut down and so they had
little option but to continue to move through most of the night hours.

Each day ended a little before midnight and, without the time to prepare
hot food the camps were at best miserable but the thought of the bandit
Samosa being able to take advantage of their weapons and guns drove them
onward even under these trying conditions.

Two more days after crossing the Douro Thomas had turned the column even
further north; he planned to cross the tributary north of Miranda and under
the heights of the Asturian and Cantabrian Mountains which would then act
as a safe zone on their left flank as they worked their way south and east
towards their final goal.

Miranda was protected from the east by the mountains which cut down where
Thomas could place his attack; during the whole trip he had had his
thinking cap on as he tried to find the best way to make the man pay; one
of the first things he could not do was mount a frontal assault, it would
be far too dangerous and held the possibility of high losses even if Samosa
was short of powder.

A further day and a night of travel in what had now become a very cold and
chilling wind found Thomas and his men on the banks of the Tributary; if
the measurements of Major Smithson were correct; and Thomas had little
doubt that they were, then Miranda was now only two days and a full nights
travel away; it was time to send an advance scout out to find a place to
hide and recoup their strength before the attack.

Once a place of safety could be found to rest, Thomas and his Officers
would make a final scout of the town and make the final plans for the
attack once they had seen the actual ground they would be fighting on; for
now they still had two days and a cold wet night of travel to get close
enough for their burgeoning plans.



TBC.