Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2017 16:11:13 +1200
From: arthur carkeek <artcart65@gmail.com>
Subject: drummer boy chapter 17 bk 2

DRUMMER BOY
CHAPTER 17
BOOK 2
THE ROAD NORTH
BY ARTHUR

CONTACT AUTHOR:
artcart65@gmail.com


By the third day, Thomas knew that winter was finally giving ground as the
bright sun continued to work on the frozen roadway. Although the warmth was
welcome it did make for any easier going and many times the wagons had to
make use of some of the escort horses being used to help them continue to
move forward.

The further they progressed onto the open plains, the more difficult it
became to move at any speed. On the worst day they covered only ten miles
until they finally came upon more secure ground and were once again able to
make better time.

It took Thomas's army nearly fourteen days to make it all the way back to
their camp north of Braganza and the sight of the rising smoke of the
cooking fires was such a relief after the hard dogged slog that some of the
tired men even raised a cheer. As each day passed Thomas was able to keep
the column moving with good speed as the mules they had and had been used
to carry the grain for their horses were able to be added slowly to the
wagons which made it easier to make it through some very tough going.

The outer guards of the camp had seen the approaching column for some time
and the cooking fires were well stoked and hot food cooking well before
Thomas led the exhausted men into camp. It did not take much for those who
had stayed behind to see the condition of both the men and the many horses;
it had obviously been a torrid time for all.

Even though young Fairley looked just as beaten as any of the others; he
did not hesitate to go looking for hot water for his General to wash with;
that and a good helping of hot stew was his present priority. Thomas could
almost not believe the improvements in the camp since he had left;
everywhere he looked he could see the talents of Major Carterton and his
engineering abilities.

There had been a lot of construction going on during the winter and what
had only a month or so ago been a ramshackle collection of tents and very
rough stone walls was now a well set out collection of small stone huts
with canvas roofs and the main lane between the two long rows of huts was
now covered in thin sheets of a slate like stone that kept most of the mud
at bay.

Thomas could now see that as the weather improved Major Morgan had had his
men uncover the guns and they were now set for action should they be
needed. Those of Lorenco's men that had been left behind now had well
protected positions in the outer ring to act as the early warning eyes and
ears for the new camp while the rest of the Infantry Companies had worked
long hours under the direct orders of Major Carterton.

Thomas was led to his new home at the centre of the new camp where he was
ushered inside to see the two small rooms set aside for him. His bedroom
was ta the back with the main room acting as his dining room and war room
all in one.

Carmelo joined Thomas as the tired young General began to strip out of his
soiled and smelly clothes; there had been no time for bathing while they
were on the road and the sight of the tin bath being even now filled with
hot steaming water left Thomas with only one thing on his mind.

As Thomas stripped for his bath, Carmelo gave him all the news and relayed
a message directly from Prince Pimentel which had arrived two weeks
previous by rider. The Prince wanted to see Thomas at his earliest
convenience when he had returned from the north; the Prince would be in
Zamora during the month of March and would wait for Thomas's return so they
could meet in the that town.

Thomas looked at Carmelo and could only smile, the reply needed no answer;
Thomas would make the journey to Zamora after he had recovered from the
last escapade and not before. The Prince had waited this long and Thomas
could not see where a few extra days would make any difference; besides, he
did need the time to recover his strength after the last fourteen days.

For the next two days Thomas was brought up to date on the events in and
around the camp since he had left with the Cavalry to harry the French. As
much as Thomas hated the thought of having to do paper work, it was an
essential part of his army and Major Jones had no intention of letting his
book work slip. Thomas had orders to sign as well as copious amounts of
papers to do with his shipping company, far more than he thought he would
have to do.

There were also the men's wages to be gone over and what money they had
available to pay them. It came as a surprise for Thomas that they had
suddenly received a large injection of coin from the last raid; now he knew
why Pablo had been smiling when he loaded the four plain looking wooden
crates onto the wagon and insisted they take them with them on the journey
home.

On the morning of the third day, Thomas decided it was time he showed his
face to the Prince; he felt better rested now he had four warm walls
between him the chill of the nights. The snow was even now being slowly
melted on the lower slopes of the mountains and the southerly winds
continued to melt away the drifts that had made travel so onerous.

Estaban was left in charge of the camp and Carmelo would go with Thomas for
the meeting along with the usual guard which they now insisted would be
made up of twenty men as well as the ever present Fairley.

After a hard riding two days, Thomas and his men entered the town of
Zamora; after a few questions of some of the locals he found the house
being used by the Prince, that and the large contingent of the Princes
guards made it easier for him to find.

Thomas and Carmelo were very quickly taken into the presence of the Prince
who looked as though the full weight of the world was upon his shoulders
but it soon changed to a full smile when he saw his favourite General being
ushered into his temporary office by his Adjutant.

"Don Thomasino, Don Carmelo, it's good to see you both in good health; I
was starting to become concerned as the days passed and there was no sign
of you."

"Good morning Your Highness; I'm sorry for the delay but we just got back
from the north only a few days ago and needed some rest before coming. Is
there something amiss that you needed me to attend to for you?"

"Yes Don Thomasino, there is a lot going on and I need to bring you up to
date with what is to be expected this campaign season. I fear that I am
going to ask you to once again put yourself and your men in danger and I'm
not sure it is the wisest of choices on my behalf. Before I continue can I
offer you and Don Carmelo some good hot cafe and little sustenance before
getting to the point?"

"Thank you Your Highness, we would both like a cafe, we did not stop for
anything this morning as I wanted to get to see you as soon as possible."

The Prince turned his head and told his Adjutant what was needed before
turning back to the table before him where he had a range of maps spread
out.

"There are a number of events taking place at the moment, the most vexing
is that I have some of the Generals starting to make noises that could
disrupt any chance of Spain coming under one government, and now I have
heard the King is going to return at the first opportunity which may or may
not cause even more problems while the war is ongoing. Viscount Wellington
has plans of taking the fight to the French just as soon as the ground is
firm enough for him to move his army; I believe he has now amassed over
120,000 troops to his cause, so we now have a good chance of sending them
back to France once and for all. The French forces have now been put under
the command of Napoleon's brother Joseph who still believes he is our
king. It now seems that Napoleon suffered an horrendous defeat in Russia
and has taken every man that could be spared to bolster his own army now
that the Austrians and Germans have re-entered the war effort as allies of
the Russians. Joseph's forces here in Spain have been reduced drastically
and your actions over the winter have made it almost impossible for them to
receive re-enforcements and supplies. Your closing of the Miranda pass has
left them with only one major pass to use now and that is where the
Viscount is preparing to meet them and finally push them from our lands."

Thomas sat and sipped his hot cafe as he nodded that he understood the
explanation so far.

"From the last meeting I had with the Viscount it would appear that he has
plans to cross the northern mountains of Portugal with his main army and
try to cut off the French retreat to France via the Balbao Pass. Marshal
Jourdan has an army estimated at around 68,000 and is at present somewhere
between the River Douro and the River Tragus, Wellington is going to try
and trap him there between the rivers with a three pronged attack. If
Jourdan does escape there is only one place he can go and that is towards
Busaco. What I have to ask you Don Thomasino, is do you think your force
can cause as many problems for the French army if they were to withdraw to
Busaco. Anything you can do to delay any attempt of the French to use the
pass of Balbao would be of assistance."

"I will look into it Your Highness, as you are well aware we are not the
sort of force that can attack from fixed positions if we wish take
advantage of any situation. We will of course look into any possibilities
and try to assist the Viscount and his forces where we can."

"Good, I knew I could rely on you to do your best. Now there remains my
problem of the Generals in the Cortes. I would ask that you continue to
maintain your separation from any political views or actions as you have so
far done. If it comes to a fight, and I sincerely think it will, then the
less you have to be involved the better for your future and that of your
army. When the King returns I fear there may be even more problems and the
less your name is used in the politics of Spain, the less chance the King
would have to censure you in any way after the war. Do you understand what
I am saying Don Thomasino?"

"Yes Your Highness, it has never been my intent to become involved in any
political events of Spain or Portugal, I am here only to fight and had
never given any thought beyond that Your Highness. When the war is done all
I want to do is have a good and safe home for my men and I."

"Well I am glad to hear it Don Thomasino but I do have a fear that
circumstances may intervene whether we plan for it or not. I can tell you
that one thing will be for certain and that is that Spain will be in for a
torrid time once the French have been sent packing and I would not want our
most valued General to become involved with what may eventuate after it is
all over."

The Prince paused as he looked for map on his table, after finding what he
was looking for he looked over at Thomas and Carmelo before continuing.

"The Viscount is already on the move with the bulk of his army taking to
the mountains in the north while his second army is readying for the
advance through the centre. The northern army under Sir Thomas Graham is
going to try to cross the mountains and attack the French from the rear and
right flank; if he succeeds with his ruse he could catch the French in a
pincer and destroy them before they can retreat to France. If the plan
fails due to the mountain crossing then it is there I am asking you to hold
back the French. At this stage I think your best chance would be the Bilbao
Pass; do you have any knowledge of it?"

"Yes Your Highness, we have made use of it before and have some knowledge
of it; it was where we were when you called for me, there are many places
we can delay any French withdrawal."

"Good then I will leave it all in your hands and hope that all will be as
we wish when the time comes. Now we come to the last reason for asking you
to meet me here. The Viscount has asked me to find some men that know the
northern mountains and to act as guides for Sir Thomas's army as they make
their way through what is believed to be impassable country. It came to
mind that you have many young men from all over Portugal and Spain and I
was wondering as to whether you had some from the northern regions that
could take up that task for the Viscount. As I said earlier, the army is
already on the move but I think that they would only be making about ten or
fifteen miles a day so it should be easy for you to catch up with them well
before the mountains."

"Yes Your Highness I think I have a number of young men that could fill
that role for the Viscount but he will need interpreters, none of those I
am thinking of speak English and I would not want mistakes happening due to
incorrect interpretation."

"I see, well the Viscount has asked if you would meet with him at Ciudad
Rodrigo within the next few days to make plans for that to happen."

"If I can leave for my camp toady then I can be there to meet the Viscount
in perhaps six or seven days Your Highness."

"Then if you can do this for me I will once again be in your debt Don
Thomasino. Now then enough of this morbid talk; it is time for lunch and I
would like you to join me before you leave for your camp."

"Thank you Your Highness, it would be our pleasure and a good meal would
see us on our way in good spirits."

"Good then it is done and once again Spain will owe you a great debt that I
only hope she can repay at some future time."

Lunch went on for more than an hour before Thomas finally called a halt and
made ready to leave for his camp, there was a lot of travelling to do and
not much time to do it in. Two days later found the small hard riding group
entering the camp with the look of those who had slept little over the last
few days; as he dismounted from his horse and before he even took his own
condition into consideration; Thomas called for Maketja and Estaban to join
he and Carmelo in his small two room house.

The planning session took over an hour by which time Thomas was fully ready
for a rest; it had been a hard and fast ride to get back to the camp and
start to make plans for the guides he had been asked for. Maketja had
volunteered to form a group of northerners to act as guides but Thomas
still had the problem of finding an interpreter for the English.

As Thomas stepped from the house to take a few breaths of fresh air, the
answer to his problem walked past whistling to himself. Thomas smiled as he
saw the familiar figure and thought back to the last time he had asked the
boy to carry out an important duty for him; The fact the same boy had
become very close friends with Maketja also helped his decision. Thomas
watched the familiar figure for a few more seconds before calling out.

"Lieutenant Morgan I would like to see you if you have nothing of
importance to do at this time."

Snot Morgan straightened and sent a warm smile at Thomas before changing
directions and smartly walking towards where Thomas waited. Snot came to
attention and, with a rather cheeky salute said.

"Yes Sir, I am at your command Sir."

"Come inside Lieutenant, there is something important I have to ask of
you."

Thomas led Snot inside the house before indicating a chair for the boy to
sit in, once he was also seated he began.

"Lieutenant I have something important for you to do but it may be very
dangerous so I have to ask you if you will take it on instead of just
giving you a direct order. The last thing I want to do is have to tell your
father that I was responsible for you losing your life on my orders."

"Yes Sir, I can see how me Da might get upset but if you need me then I am
here for whatever is needed to end the French."

"I am going to meet with the Viscount Wellington soon and he has asked for
some guides to lead one of his army's through the mountains, Maketja is
selecting the men now but they will need an interpreter that speaks English
or there could be some confusion with directions and language. I would like
to ask you to go in that capacity so there can be no mistakes. The one
order I will give you and the others is that under no circumstances are you
or the others to join in any fighting under English Officers orders. You
and the men are there only to act as guides and that is all. If the English
get into a fight I want you and the others to get your heads down and stay
safely out of it. Is that quite clear Lieutenant?"

"Yes Sir. When do we leave Sir?"

"Early tomorrow morning, make sure you have all your arms with you and
anything else you deem fitting for a long journey; I'll Have Colonel
Colosio find you a good horse and Captain Maketja will have a number of
mules selected to carry anything else you will all need."

"Yes Sir, Thank you for the chance Sir."

"Just keep your head on your shoulders and return safely and don't take any
chances or cause any trouble."

"Yes Sir."

Snot stood up and gave one of his best salutes before a wide smile crossed
his face and he ran from the house as though he was going on a special
Holliday and not into danger as was more than likely. Thomas returned to
his final preparations to meet the Viscount before he decided it was time
to get his head down. Tomorrow would be the start of another long, hard
ride towards Ciudad Rodrigo.

Thomas had estimated it would be a very hard four days ride almost without
stopping before he would make Ciudad Rodrigo and as tired as he presently
was, he was not looking forward to it. While he had spent most of the last
five years being under constant pressure and always seemed to be tired or
just recovering from exhaustion it still did not make it any easier as time
passed.

Thomas was fully aware that he and his men could at any stage out ride and
out march any known army of the day but it still did little to ease any
aches and pains that developed during such times. Thomas sighed as he
forgot about dinner and almost fell onto his small bed to sleep; he would
eat an extra large breakfast before leaving and make up for his hunger in
the morning.

Thomas's eyes were closed almost before his head hit the pillow; he did not
hear Fairley enter the room and felt nothing as the young teen quietly
undressed his General and then left to get the clothes washed while Thomas
slept the sleep of the dead.

The sun had just begun to show the faint pink of early morning when Thomas
finally forced his still tired eyes open. The smell of fresh cafe had him
reaching to the small side table before he even really knew what he was
doing. Somewhere outside the room he could hear the ever present Fairley
doing something but, it was not until he had taken four good large sips of
the hot cafe that his mind began to work properly.

After leaving his warm bed, Thomas saw that his black uniform was laid out
and ready for him; he often wondered what his life would be like without
the thoughtful and dedicated attention to detail that Fairley provided day
after day without complaint.

Thomas was finally dressed and stepped into his solitary front room to see
what was happening; Fairley had set the small table with a large hot
breakfast and was waiting off to one side for his general to appear.

"Thank you Fairley, I think it's about time you placed another stripe on
your arm. Go and find Major Jones later and tell him to place your new rank
in the pay book. I want you to stay behind this time as I hope to be with
the Viscount for as little time as possible and then return at speed. I
have a feeling we don't have much time before the trouble starts with the
French again."

"Yes Sir. Sir, do you wish me to ready a travelling trunk for you?"

"No thank you Fairley, I want to be in and out well before I will need
anything. Whatever you can't get into my saddle panniers can stay behind;
when you've finished here I want you to go and tell Colonel Estaban to
relate to my escort to do the same and that I will be wanting Colonel Grey
to accompany me as well."

"Yes Sir."

Fairley quickly finished what he had been doing and disappeared so he could
carry out Thomas's orders. It took Thomas less than a half hour to finish
the large breakfast and then look around for what he may need for his fast
trip to talk with the Viscount. While the travel time may be four days or
so, he had little intention of staying longer than to have the meeting and
leave at the earliest moment.

The winter campaign had taken a huge toll on Thomas and most of his men;
had he had a looking glass he would not have seen the same boyish face of
five years ago nor would he have seen anything to indicate innocence in the
face that would have looked back at him. It was at these momentary pauses
between campaigns that Thomas's thoughts would wander and it took a great
deal of inner strength to resist them taking over his persona.

As had already been proven by those looking at the young General, instead
of looking like any other sixteen year old, Thomas would have seen the face
of a teen much older. Amid a few faint facial scars and newly forming
wrinkles that should have only been made by one far older than he was; he
would have had to also agree he now looked to be almost at the start of his
twenties and the young skinny drummer boy of the past was now only a
distant memory.

Thomas stood in his doorway as he watched Fairley lead his horse Santana
towards where he stood waiting. The two panniers looked to be full and the
saddle had been well buffed and polished ready for his use. Behind Fairley,
Thomas could see Carmelo and his twenty man escort mounting, they also had
a pair of well packed panniers tied on their saddles.

Ten minutes later and those staying in the camp watched as their General
left quickly with his escort; it was obvious from the start that there
would no time wasted during this trip. The ride was long and hard but
Thomas led his men on almost at breakneck speed and stopping only for a few
hours sleep when both the men and the horses were just too tired to
continue.

Dawn was breaking just as Thomas and his exhausted escort rode into the
quiet streets of Ciudad Rodrigo; all around there were signs of English
troops, either those who were going out on guard or those returning from
their posts. Thomas ignored the puzzled soldiers as he led his men through
the still quiet streets of early morning; there was little now that he
would let distract him from his objective. If all went as he hoped, he
wanted to be back on the road for Braganza before the day was at an end.

After asking one of the early soldiers for directions, he found out that
the Viscount had his headquarters on the other side of the large town. The
soldier told him it would be easy to find once through the last
street. Thomas almost smiled at the strange look the soldier was giving him
when he heard the definite London accent on a young man that looked at
first sight to be foreign; the look was replaced with disbelief once he
heard Thomas speak but his was not to wonder why.

Thomas left the soldier with his unasked questions still without an answer
and rode off to find the headquarters of the Viscount; the sooner the
meeting was held the sooner he could leave and return to his own camp.

When they exited from the town, it was just as the soldier had said. On the
eastern edge of the town was a sea of tents that stretched almost as far as
the eye could see. Every tent was in a straight line with a narrow lane
between each rank. Near the centre of the huge camp an area had been set
aside for a large parade ground which at the moment looked to be nothing
more than a large brown muddy quagmire but its intent was plain to see.

It took little for Thomas to spy the mass of Tents he was looking for. They
were off to one side of the large parade ground and a little apart from
those of the ordinary soldiers, the lanes around the large bell shaped
tents were also of much better quality and there was little sign of mud
underneath the mass of duck boards that were used to keep the boots of the
Officers clean and free of the muck below.

The first rays of sunlight were tinting the tops of the tents as Thomas and
his escort rode towards the largest of the group of tents; he was not
really surprised to see the now very familiar figure of Colonel Lewis
standing at the front of the largest of the tents; he was accompanied, most
surprisingly, by Colonel Grey. Thomas led his men forward until they
stopped before the two waiting men. With a small hand signal, Thomas and
Carmelo stepped from their hard ridden horses and handed the reins to one
of the waiting escort; they would take the horses away and find somewhere
to rest them while the Officers talked.

Thomas and Carmelo took the few steps to take them with in a hands breadth
of the two waiting men; it gave Thomas a little start as both men snapped
to attention and saluted as he and Carmelo came up to them; Colonel Lewis
was the first to speak.

"Good Morning General, The Viscount has been waiting for you, if you will
follow me inside we can get down to business."

"Thank you Colonel Lewis; you know Colonel Grey I am sure?"

"Yes General. How are you Colonel Grey?"

"Well Sir." Carmelo replied before turning to his father and, for the first
time that he could ever remember, Thomas saw Carmelo blush as he held out
his hand to his stern looking father in greeting. "Hello Papa."

It surprised all those present as the stern faced Colonel looked at Carmelo
with a discerning eye before he stepped forward and took Carmelo in a hug
and then stepped back and said something that Thomas thought Carmelo must
have been waiting a lifetime for.

"I'm very proud of you Carmelo, just as your mother would have been. What
you have done in helping the General is far more than I could have thought
you capable of when you were young. Whatever happens in the future I want
you to remember that there is nothing that will ever change my opinion of
you and I will go to my grave just as proud as I am today."

Thomas watched with disbelief as two tears formed in Carmelo's eyes and ran
slowly down his weather beaten cheeks; Thomas could only think that this
was a time that should be remembered and that it had affected Carmelo like
Thomas had never seen before. Before much else could be said, there came a
deep sharp voice from inside the tent.

"Colonel Lewis! If you have finished with your chums I would appreciate
their attendance as soon as possible. We have a war to fight and the French
will soon be on the move."

"Yes My Lord, we are come right in Sir."

"Then bloody hurry up Colonel, I don't have all day to sit waiting around
while you exchange pleasantries."

Thomas almost let a giggle escape his lips as Colonel Lewis raised his eyes
to the sky before he smiled and indicated they should all go inside before
the Viscount came out looking for them; not a good idea this early in the
morning. Colonel Lewis led Thomas and Carmelo into the tent with Carmelo's
father close behind. When he saw the Viscount sitting behind his desk, he
was at first surprised the man was dressed as he was.

There had never been a time when Thomas had not seen the Viscount
impeccably dressed in a smart uniform but this time he was in his shirt
sleeves and looked as though he had just arisen from his bed; had Thomas
known that the Viscount had yet to see his bed he may have understood the
man's unkempt state.

"Good morning General Marking, thank you for coming; we have a lot to talk
over and I do need your assistance if you would see your way to helping
us."

"Good morning Sir; we will of course try to do what we can to help you but,
I ask that you not have plans to have my men put in unnecessary danger so
that your army is better able to take advantage. As you well know Sir, I am
under the orders of the Cortes and my men are under my command."

Thomas watched the Viscounts face change as he stated his own limits,
something that was not normally done to any superior Officer and especially
not the Viscount; the sole commander of all English and allied forces.

Thomas waited patiently as the range of emotions ran quickly over the
Viscounts face; it quickly went from shock to anger and then to resignation
as he looked down his long nose at one of the very few Officers he
considered to be competent and trustworthy for the upcoming campaign
season.

"Point taken General Marking, but I did not envision you being placed in
situation you did not control, but I will keep your words in mind. I assume
that by now you have had words with His Highness Prince Pimentel so if you
have no objections I will just continue under the assumption that you are
now aware of our situation."

"Yes Sir, the Prince has made mention of some of your concerns and I and my
men will do what we can to assist in any way we can."

"Thank you General, now then firstly we need the assistance of some of your
men that have a good knowledge of northern Spain. I have sent one part of
my army to try and cut off any thoughts of retreat that the French may have
and am badly in need of a guide to taken them through the mountains. It has
been said that it is impossible to move an army over the terrain but I am
sure that with the right people there must be a way past without running
into the French prematurely."

"I have already taken care of that Sir, my men are already on their way to
intercept your army and lead them through the mountains."

"You have? Well I must say you do move very quickly General; it is easy to
see why you are held in such high esteem by His Highness and the
Cortes. Now my next problem is the main French army."

The Viscount turned to the large rough map lying on the table in front of
him, Thomas covered his mouth with his hand as he tried to keep the small
smile from being seen when he saw just how rough the maps were when
compared to the finely drawn ones of Major Smithson. It had not really
occurred to Thomas before just how rudimentary the English maps were until
now.

As the Viscount traced his planned advance across the map, Thomas stayed
quiet and did not give any indication that he was already aware of much of
what the Viscount was now trying to explain to him; he had already made
some tentative plans of his own and had no intention of revealing them to
the Viscount unless it was needed to keep his men safe.

"The main French forces are at present camped between the Douro and the
Targus rivers and I plan to force them move north towards Burgos where some
of my armies will cut them off from the roads to France. If all goes as
planned I hope to trap Jourdan inside the passes where he will not have
freedom of movement and narrow his front so that Sir Thomas Graham can get
at them from the right. I have been informed that you were responsible for
the closing of the Miranda pass and that has made it easier for my forces
as the French now only have one way open to them and that is through the
narrower passes towards Balbao. My one concern is that the French will be
able to escape through to France before I can get to grips with them and
this is where I would like your assistance."

Thomas watched as the Viscount once again traced a possible road for his
frontal attack which he explained to Thomas was mainly a feint in the hope
the French would think it was the main attack and then turn their forces
towards the little known town of Vittoria where they could be trapped and
then beaten. There was one thing that had worried the Viscount and that was
the need for a small force to limit the ability of the French to withdraw
back into France with their army intact. To avoid this the Viscount asked
if Thomas could once again make concentrated raids on the French supply
lines and close as many roads as he could.

The main assault if all went well in the early stages of the campaign would
be around the River Zadorra where it narrowed down into a hairpin bend,
there were ample bridges across the river and the Viscount was certain the
French would not be able to destroy all of them in time to stop his own
forces from breaching the French lines by the use of the bridges.

The Viscount told Thomas that he had it on good authority that after the
ravages Napoleon had suffered in his disastrous attempt to take Russia, he
had pulled valuable men from the Spanish front to bolster his own depleted
forces in Europe. The Viscount deemed that now was the right time to make
his best advance and defeat the French once and for all while Jourdan's
forces were so weakened by the men drafted back to France for the Emperors
needs. Now that the Austrians had joined forces with the German armies and
were intent on pushing Napoleon back to Paris and his final demise, the
Emperor was in bad need of men to fill his lines.

As Thomas watched and listened to the Viscount's needs they were suddenly
interrupted by a young Lieutenant as he carried a large tray of food into
the tent. The Viscount looked up at the young man with a frown before
sighing and looking at Thomas and the others.

"Gentlemen would you like to join me for breakfast, I'm sorry I had no idea
of the time; perhaps we can pause here to catch our breath and eat before
we continue."

The others present agreed and the young Lieutenant then had to reorganise a
small side table so everyone could select what they wanted from the
overfull tray; Thomas suddenly realised he had missed his early morning
cafe and wondered if his slightly sullen mood had anything to do with that
oversight.

The men all joined the Viscount in a hurried meal and as they ate it gave
them the time to consider what the Viscount had so far imparted to
them. For Thomas there was a lot to consider and paramount was the safety
of his own men if they were going to be out on their own with the English
and allied armies pushing the French towards them with little back up.

By late morning most of the planning had been completed and Thomas was
hoping to get back on the road before lunch. With all the details he now
carried in his head there was a lot to do before his men would be ready to
face the French once more and at the same time try to assist the Viscount
and the English with their own plans.

"Well General Marking, you can now see what I hope is my future plans and
how I could do with your assistance in keeping the French held in the
passes to the north, anything you can do that allows me to once and for all
destroy their army will be greatly appreciated. My main concern is for the
area around Vittoria and the passes leading to Balbao And on into
France. What do you think you could do to help me hold them back from the
passes?"

"Well Sir, we have already done a lot of raiding in the passes to the north
and the French would now be very much aware of their vulnerability there
now but I am sure we can still keep them on their toes and do a good amount
of damage to their supply lines once you have started your advance. With
your attacks in the south they should be more concerned with the problems
in that direction and we may be able to cause considerable problems for
them well behind their front lines."

"Do you have anything more positive for me General?"

"Not at this stage Sir, I will need my men to do reconnaissance before I
can finalise any plans but I will guarantee that your attack to the north
will be made as easy as I can make it."

"Thank you General Marking, it is all I can ask at this stage. Will you be
staying in camp for this evening? We have a special celebration in the
Officer's mess this evening and I would like you to join us if you had no
other plans?"

"Thank you Sir, but I need to get back to Braganza; it's a full four days
ride and I need to get my men ready and have the region scouted before your
attack."

"Very good General Marking, I fully understand your concerns although it
would have been nice to have you in the mess for the evening but as you are
well aware as I am that duty must come first. My thanks again for your
assistance and God speed for your endeavours."

"Thank you Sir, I can assure you we will do our best to slow the French for
you."

It was with a little relief that Thomas made his way out of the tent along
with Carmelo; before they could go looking for their escort, a familiar
rough and course voice called out behind them.

"Just a moment General, if you have a few minutes I would like to talk with
you and my son."

Stopping and turning to face Colonel Grey, Carmelo and Thomas stood waiting
patiently as the older man caught up with them.

"Sorry for calling you back but I wanted to say a few things without other
ears hearing."

"Certainly Mister Grey; did you have some other place in mind?"

"Well I did think we would be safer at my camp than out here in the open;
at least there I have my own men watching our backs."

"Very good Mister Grey, lead the way and like little puppies we will
follow."

"That's enough of your cheek lad, you may be a big General in others eyes
but I can still see a grubby little drummer boy wandering around a battle
field with nary a friend in sight."

"That you may Mister Grey, but I've learnt a few tricks since those days,
least of which is to have a good friend at my side when confronted by the
evil men of the Sharpshooters Company."

A thin grin crossed Colonel Grey's face as he led the two youngsters
towards where his own men were camped. In his own mind he now had to agree
with O'Rourke that the pairing of the two had been the best way forward. He
himself had not been in a position to keep watch over his son during the
start of the war and now he was glad that he had allowed O'Rourke to talk
him into letting his boy go along with a very young Drummer Boy after the
battle at Rolica.

On arrival at the site where Mister Grey and his men were set up, the first
thing Thomas saw was the relaxing figure of Sergeant Major O'Rourke. The
Sergeant was sitting on an old folding wooden chair with his booted feet
resting on an old battered trunk. His plain jacket was fully open and it
appeared the top button on his rough serge trousers had been undone and the
black cravat around his neck hung open. In one hand was a half full glass
of what could only be brandy and his old pipe was grasped in the other; on
the table beside him was the nearly empty bottle of the same brandy.

"You look remarkably comfortable O'Rourke; are you taking advantage of your
missing Colonel?" Thomas asked with a wide smile on his face.

"Enough of that lad, I can still put you across me knee should the occasion
arise, General or not."

For the first time in a number of years, Thomas was taken totally by
surprise; not only by O'Rourke's speed but the fact that he was nowhere
near as drunk as he had made out. There was sudden laughter from those
closest when they saw Thomas lifted bodily and placed over the Irishman's
knee. Embarrassing as the act was it was nothing compared to the three hard
whacks on his upturned backside before O'Rourke placed him back on his
feet.

"Now there you go lad, I told you I could still do it."

Thomas rubbed his slightly tender behind but still let the smile break
through as his right hand flashed inside his jacket and produced one of his
double barrelled pistols and placed it squarely in the centre of O'Rourke's
forehead.

"Good you are O'Rourke, but youth and speed will always win the day."

It was the dry chuckle from Colonel Grey that finally broke up the small
tableau as he said.

"Well O'Rourke, bested by a bloody drummer, you should have taken more care
with that bloody bottle. Now you two if you have finished mucking about I
have some things to pass on to you."

Thomas replaced his pistol as O'Rourke reached for the brandy bottle one
more time; the rueful look on his face as he watched his young friend turn
back to Colonel Grey said it all. O'Rourke was pleasantly surprised and a
little proud how the lad had turned the tables and went to show he would
never be an easy push over for any man.

"O'Rourke, go and get those other chairs so we can sit for a while so I can
impart my wisdom on this young rebel General."

"Do I look like a servant? By the powers I'm reduced to fetch and carry for
any bloody toff that has ideas above his station. Do yee see lad what this
damn upstart ranker makes me do for him."

"Yes O'Rourke, now I can see with my own eyes how you are treated; I could
almost feel sorry for you if it were not that you are Irish and we all know
what that means in this man's army."

As O'Rourke moved away to get the extra chairs the three could hear him
mumbling about fancy Officers taking advantage of lowly Sergeants, his
mumbling was interspersed with the puffing of his pipe. O'Rourke returned
with three more folding chairs under one arm and placed them in a semi
circle around the small table before taking up his glass and emptying it
with one gulp.

Colonel Grey began to speak as O'Rourke refilled his glass, although Thomas
did notice it was not nearly as full as it had been before their arrival.

"I was watching your reaction to his nibs request; at a guess I would say
you already have something in mind for the eventual battle plan. Do you
mind telling me what you were thinking?"

"Not at all Mister Grey. I was thinking of taking all my men back to the
camp site we used over winter; from there I can attack in a number of
different directions and still have a good escape route if I need one."

"What of the men you sent after Sir Thomas and his divisions?"

"They have orders not to get mixed up in any fighting but to lead Sir
Thomas to the northern crossing of the Esla and then break away and return
to our camp before any battle is joined. With luck they should be able to
rejoin us before the middle of May."

"Good for you lad, now then I want to tell you to stay well away from
Balbao, I know you have done some real damage to some of their supply
trains but what we saw up north in France could mean some real trouble for
you. If I've read things properly then i would say you should sit back and
wait for the main battles to be over and done with then use your skill to
block or harry any Frenchies that will try to retreat back to France. With
your attack on Miranda and Sir Thomas coming from the north east, the
French will only have one road to escape and that's the one you will be
sitting on."

Thomas nodded his head in understanding as he listened to the older and
wiser man; the last thing he wanted to do was lead his men into a full
scale battle and lose men he did not want to. Thomas stayed quiet as he
watched Mister Grey get his thoughts together before continuing.

"Now the other thing I've heard is that Joseph Bonaparte the so called King
of Spain is somewhere ahead, perhaps with Jourdan or he may be with Soult
but he is trying to get back to France and his brother. If you see a chance
or anything that even vaguely looks like him or his baggage train then I
would set up somewhere and try to trap him. Personally I think the French
will make a stand and then, if they have to, will retreat back to Burgos
and try to hold Wellington there. If Wellington give them a bloody nose
there is only one place they can make for with any hope of holding
Wellington back and that's Vittoria so stay well away from there as well
unless you can see a safe way to use your ambush skills."

Once again Thomas nodded his understanding of the situation that Mister
Grey was explaining to him.

"If Wellington gets the French running back towards France then I would say
this war will be over before the next year is out so this is not the time
for you to get careless lad. I would suggest that you make no attacks that
you know you can't win or if there is even the smallest of doubt over. Do
you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes and thank you Mister Grey, some of what you've told me I had not
thought of but I am determined to have all of my men finish this war in one
piece if at all humanly possible."

"Good then we are on the same course. You've done far more than most during
this damn war lad, and now it's almost over there's little need for you to
stick your neck out just so others can make a name for themselves. Well
that's all I have to say lad, just keep your head down and don't take any
stupid chances. We've got the bloody French on the run so now it's up to
you to get home safe."

"I'll do my best Mister Grey but as you know I still have men and boys that
deserve a chance for final revenge on the French and if the chance arises i
am not going to stop them. Most of my Spanish and Portuguese men have lost
everything to them and I am determined to see they get their chance."

"I can understand that lad but don't let the need for revenge cloud your
judgement when it comes to their lives and your's as well. Make it home
safe and sound then you can sit back and look at what you have
done. There's not many that could have accomplished what you have in the
last five years lad, there's much for to be proud of and to go looking for
revenge at this stage could be the wrong thing to do."

"Thank you Mister Grey, I will keep your words in mind. Now I must get on,
we have a long journey back to Braganza and a lot of planning to do. Thank
you and O'Rourke for everything you've done for me, I don't think I would
have lived through this without your help."

"Well then God speed lad, keep your head down and your powder dry; I don't
know if or when we will meet again but I hope it's in better times."

Thomas stood as did Carmelo; it was almost heart warming to see Colonel
Grey reach out to Carmelo and give him a quick hug before the two
youngsters went in search of their escort so they could begin their return
to Braganza, there was still a long road ahead and many French to face
before the war would be done.



TBC.