Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2017 16:29:12 +1300
From: arthur carkeek <artcart65@gmail.com>
Subject: drummer boy chapter 4

DRUMMER BOY
CHAPTER 4
BOOK 2
THE ROAD NORTH
BY ARTHUR

CONTACT AUTHOR:
artcart65@gmail.com


NEW PROMOTIONS OF THE 1r REGIMIENTO ESPANOL GUERILLAS.
GENERAL
THOMAS MARKING: DON THOMASINO de TORO.
CAVALIER de ESPANA (ORDER OF SPANISH KNIGHTS).
COMMANDER: 1r REGIMIENTO ESPANOL GUERILLAS
COLONEL'S
DON CARMELO GREY: COMMANDER OF INFANTRY
DON ESTABAN COLOSIO: COMMANDER OF CAVALRY
LORENCO SOUZA: COMMANDER OF SCOUTS
MAJOR'S
OWEN JONES: ADJUTANT AND QUARTERMASTER
CARTRIGHT JERVIS: SURGEON GENERAL OF INFIRMARY
CRAVEN MORGAN: COMMADER OF ARTILLERY
OLIVER PERRIN: COMMANDER 1ST CORPS OF INFANTRY
BENTLY TRENT: COMMANDER 2ND CORPS OF INFANTRY
THIMOTHY CARTERTON: COMMANDER OF THE COLOUR GUARD AND REGIMENTAL ENGINEER
JEREMY SMITHSON: COMMANDER OF CARTOGRAPHY
CAPTAIN'S
SERGIO MARKING (ADOPTIVE): ASSITANT CARTOGRAPHER
CARLITO MARKING (ADOPTIVE): GUARD COMMANDER OF CARTOGRAPHERS
MAKETJA (UNKNOWN ROMANI): SCOUT COMMANDER OF CARTOGRAPHERS
TOMMY PERRIN: COMMANDER 1ST PLATOON 2ND CORPS OF INFANTRY
PABLO CAVALINO; COMMANDER 1ST TROOP OF CAVALRY
THOMASINO CAVALINO: COMMANDER 2ND TROOP OF CAVALRY
DIEGO CAVALINO: COMMANDER 3RD TROOP OF CAVALRY
LIEUTENTANT'S
"SNOT" MORGAN: VICTUALLING OFFICER
SIMON CROXLEY: GUN COMMANDER 1ST BATTERY
BEN CROW: GUN COMMANDER 2ND BATTERY
STANNARD SMITH: GUN COMMANDER 3RD BATTERY
SIMON KENT: GUN COMMANDER 4TH BATTERY
PETER WRIGHT: GUN COMMANDER 5TH BATTERY (MOBILE SWIVEL GUNS AND ROCKETRY)
FLORES DE SILVA: PROCURMENT OFFICER FOR VIMEIRO
SERGEANT'S
TOM FAIRLEY: BATMAN (COMMANDING OFFICER)


Thomas and his Senior Officers had gone ahead of the long convoy of wagons
and men to see the beach landing and to find the First Mate Mister
O'Grady. Thomas had been told the man's name by Bowden and it was O'Grady
that had taken over the ownership of the Mary Rae from its former Master.

The first of the gun train horses were just coming into view when Thomas
asked one of the sweating men on the beach for First Mate O'Grady. After he
had been told he would find the man up on the beached ship's deck, Thomas
went looking for him as Craven Morgan made a direct line for the two rows
of guns; they were all that interested him at that moment.

Thomas found that walking through the sand made his limp more noticeable
but he tried to ignore it while Estaban kept a close eye on him. Finding a
rope ladder leading up to the ship's deck, Thomas began to climb it as a
large net filled with casks of powder was swung out above his head. For
some reason Thomas tried to duck as it flew above him and then began to
descend towards the waiting men on the beach.

As he climbed the last few swaying rungs, Thomas thought how hard the
sailors must have worked to get the cargo out of the ship and onto the
beach with such a tough way to unload. Once on deck Thomas did not take
long to see the man he was looking for. O'Grady stood on the aft deck and
watched every part of the ship as the men below decks waited to refill the
thick and heavy cargo net.

At the appearance of the two newcomers, First Mate O'Grady took only a
glance which was enough to see the small silver head sticking up from the
boot top of the younger of the two men; this was the man he had been told
to wait for.

Thomas made his way through the men on the deck until he was at the foot of
the steps leading up to where the First Mate stood. When Thomas and Estaban
had made it onto the aft deck Thomas looked at the heavy set Mate. The
Mate's face was scarred and his hands looked as though they had done a
lifetime of hard work; the shoulders were thick and strong and he stood
alone with an air of authority that was backed by a hardness rarely seen.

First Mate O'Grady watched the two young men step onto his deck; without
thought he drew himself up to his full height and gave a small bow of his
head as he touched his non-existent forelock.

"Be you Cap'n Toro, Sir?"

"Yes Mister Mate and I want to thank you and your crew for what you have
done for us."

"Aint never no mind Cap'n; just following orders of the council we is."

"Never the less Mister Mate, you have our thanks. Now what can we do to
help get you back to sea Mister Mate?"

"Well Cap'n if you can spare a few men we can have the hold empty in a few
days or so; it will only be then we can get her off the beach and back into
deep water. Once that's done Cap'n we can work on making her look like
something else. I have the ships carpenter working on some of it now but
with only one apprentice to help him its slow going Sir."

"The rest of my men should be here soon Mister Mate, once here I can let
you have as many as you need."

"Can I ask how many that will be Cap'n?"

"I have brought about five hundred with me Mister Mate, some will go back
with the guns straight away while others work on loading the wagons, the
rest will help you where they can."

"That's a fare number of men Cap'n; where did they all come from?"

"Let's just say they had nothing else to do at this time and the extra
effort is good for their training. Now then Mister Mate, what are you going
to do once you leave here?"

"That depends on the owners Cap'n."

"And who are they Mister Mate?"

"Well Cap'n, if you can wait a little I will get the orders from Cap'n Rat,
I got them down below so if you can excuse me Cap'n I'll go get them for
you to read?"

When the First Mate had disappeared down the steps and below deck Thomas
stood with Estaban and watched the men working on the deck. There was a
continuous sound of creaking ropes and the occasional squeal of a wooden
running block as the heavy cargo net was swung out of the hold with its
full cargo. On the foredeck the men who worked the large capstan were
cursing and sweating as they grunted to turn the capstan under the heavy
load. It was a scene of orderly chaos until there was a sudden pall of
silence that seemed to swiftly take hold of the entire ship. Even those on
the beach had stopped their cursing as they tried to move the heavy cargo
through the softer sand and above the high water mark.

Thomas was taken aback at first until he also heard the reason for the
sudden stop in the working routine. From below deck there came the urgently
running footsteps of the First Mate at the sudden silence. When First Mate
O'Grady suddenly appeared holding a rolled parchment in his hand, Thomas
now saw and heard the reason for the silence.

Just coming into sight were the first of the horses for the guns and just
heard in the distance was the creaking and rumble of the twenty
wagons. First Mate O'Grady was the first to understand and started yelling
orders to his men as the long column of newcomers came further into
sight. With a voice that to Thomas's ear sounded much like his old Sergeant
Major in the 33rd, O'Grady began to shout orders.

"WHAT'S THE STOPPING YE BLOODY LUBBERS; GET YOUR BACKS INTO IT OR BY GOD
I'LL HAVE THE SKIN OFF YE AFORE THE SUN SETS."

The sudden loud orders soon had the seamen back at work as the column drew
closer; Thomas thought it must have been quite a surprise for the few
sailors who had laboured so hard to see so many arriving to help.

First Mate O'Grady stepped up to Thomas and handed him the rolled up orders
from Mister Percy.

"This be the Cap'ns orders Sir."

Thomas took the scroll and unrolled it. There was no address or heading on
the top of the scroll only a single round black spot which explained
everything to those who knew what it meant.

Thomas began to read it slowly; his ability at reading was little better
than his ability at writing when it came to fancy orders although these
were put in plain terms so the Mate could also understand them.

First Mate O'Grady, under the orders of the Council you will take command
of the ship once known as the Mary Rae. When the unloading of cargo is
complete you will rename said ship the "Avante" and take command. The
Avante will now come under the ownership of Marking Shipping Company and
you will proceed to employ the ship in the manner of a merchantman. If
there were occasion that you came across any French shipping that you
surmised could be of benefit, you are hereby given permission to take her
and add her to the fleet. After disembarking from your present location you
will make your way to Oporto where a refit of sixteen guns will take
place. As of the receipt of these orders you are promoted to Captain and
will take full charge of the Avante and her crew. Upon meeting with Captain
Toro you will ask him for advice on your first cargo and any requirements
he may have for you. Should you take a foreign ship once your guns have
been set aboard, the prize money will be divided equally among the
crew. Any trade done by the Avante will be divided as follows. From the
total will be deducted the cost of cargo, from the remains of all monies,
half will go to the company of Marking Shipping Company with the other half
being equally divided by the officers and crew of the Avante.

So Ordered by the Council.

Thomas saw that the scroll was signed with a simple drawing of a rat
sitting in the centre of a black hand. After reading the scroll, Thomas
looked at O'Grady with a smile before saying.

"Captain, thank you, it would seem that the Council has taken care of
everything; my congratulations. Now then Captain, what do you need from
us?"

For a few seconds the new Captain seemed a little flustered as he heard a
Council member defer to his needs.

"Well Cap'n we could do with extra hands to unload the rest of the cargo,
once that's done we will need strong backs to help get her off the beach
and back into deep water. The high tide will help as we have her anchored
by the stern and will only need block and tackle to help her back until we
can use the windlass on the stern anchors. With that done then it will only
be a matter of a few weeks with the few hands I have to make her ready for
sea once again."

"What if I was able to give you as many men as you need, when can you be at
sea again?"

"Well Cap'n that would depend on how hard and fast they can work, but with
extra hands for the carpenter and others on the blocks we could cut that
time by a fair amount. Now then Cap'n, the Council says to ask you for
advice on cargo once we gets to Oporto. What do you suggest Cap'n?"

"I will have to give it some thought Captain but I am starting to get some
ideas. There is however one thing that we desperately need. Our surgeon is
very low on medicines for the wounded; I would like to ask him for a list
so you can procure it in England. The cost can come from any cargo we ship
over there and I will send a message to a friend on the London docks to
meet you there, he will organise everything we need. I would suggest
Captain O'Grady that we make this bay our own base for unloading anything
we need. Do you have any suggestions on how we could make it more
accommodating for the ship to unload here?"

O'Grady at first seemed a little taken aback at being asked what he wanted
but he soon recovered and began to look around at the small hidden bay; it
took only a few minutes before he decided what could be done and turned
back to the young Councillor.

While O'Grady had been thinking, Thomas had watched the arrival of the rest
of his small army of men. There had been little preamble when they arrived
and their officers immediately got them to stack arms, although they still
wore their pistols, and then they were sent to help the sailors on the
beach with the older and stronger men going to start loading the arriving
wagons. Major Craven Morgan was already at the guns and setting the men to
arranging them for the journey back to the valley.

Major Morgan had set only four horses to each gun as they did not have to
pull any caissons with them; the extra horses he sent over to the wagons as
the loads were going to be heavy and would need the extra power as the
wagons only had four horses to pull them. Lorenco had sent his scouts out
into the countryside to watch for any attempts against them. It was not
long before the once quiet bay was again a hive of activity as the five
hundred extra men and boys added to the noise of unloading the ship and
making the wagons ready for departure to the valley.

Thomas took his eyes away from the orderly chaos below and waited for
O'Grady to tell him what he was thinking.

"Well Cap'n, if it was possible there is one way to help with any unloading
but it would take time, hard work and an Engineer to do it so mayhap it's
too much to ask."

"Tell me what you're thinking Captain?"

"Well Sir, if you look down yonder near the far end of the bay."

Thomas followed O'Grady's finger and saw where he was pointing. At the far
end of the bay it cut back into the towering cliff and formed a smaller bay
that would be hidden from any searching eyes from almost any
direction. Thomas nodded that he saw where the Captain was pointing.

"Well Sir, if we was to get a dock built down there we could unload much
more quickly. The water there is very deep, even at low tide so we could
make it in and out with little trouble but the making of a dock there would
take men and a good plan to complete. I don't see much in the way of timber
around this part to make the piles so it may not be much we can do. We can
just unload by long boat; it will take longer but better than beaching the
old girl each time."

"Leave it with me Captain; I think I may have someone that will fit the
bill and more than enough men to build something for you. Do you know how
long you will be in dock at Oporto?"

"I don't know Sir but my guess would be that the Council will have
something to say about the refit so it could be less time than most would
have to spend."

"Well when you leave ask someone to send a message to me; the Council know
how to find me. Once you have had your refit I would suggest that you ask
around for a full cargo of the Oporto wine; it should fetch a good penny or
two in England and give you coin to buy cargo for your return."

"I will look to that Sir; now then as it is getting on to dark perhaps you
would like to join me for dinner?"

"I have a better idea Captain. My own men will have a good hot meal ready
by now so I will ask you and all your crew to join my men. After seeing
what they have done this last two weeks I think they all deserve something
special and that's what my boys are good at."

"Thank you Sir, I must admit that pickled pork and hard tack becomes a
little hard to take after such hard work and nothing else to relieve it."

"Good then call your men to the beach and we'll go see what the boys have
got for us."

O'Grady called to all his crew to stop work and gather on the beach, it was
not difficult to get the crew to agree to eating with the newcomers; the
heavy smell of fresh cooking food had been in the breeze of the offshore
wind for some time.

The well cooked dinner was enjoyed by the crew and it also turned out that,
as many of Major Morgan's gunners were all ex seamen that some of the crew
had old friends to explain the strange army to them and who the young
leader really was. There were more than a few awed looks among the rough
crew when they found out who Thomas really was.

The next day was to see the last of the cargo unloaded now they had so many
extra helpers. All the guns had left but there was still a large pile of
cargo under the heavy canvas that would take far longer to transport by
wagon back to Vimeiro; it was to be a long journey to get the last of it
back to safety as Thomas only had the twenty wagons to use.

With the cargo now unloaded and the ship much lighter it took only half a
day to ease her back into deeper water off the beach where the carpenter
and a new horde of youngsters helped him to make the necessary changes
before she could once again take to the sea and start her new life as the
first ship of the Marking Shipping Company and registered under the flag of
Portugal.

With the ship almost ready to leave and the second arrival of the wagons,
there was little left for Thomas to do. After calling Estaban, Thomas
mounted his horse Santana and began to take a leisurely ride at walking
pace as he let his thoughts turn to the new problems that had now arisen
due to his name being used for the new company. It seemed to Thomas that
the Council had once again taken things into their own hands.

As he rode Thomas began to form some ideas as to what he should do with the
new situation, that he now had his own means to replenish any of his needs
via the ship was one of the good points; all he needed now was a way to
purchase what he may need from England and still keep his secret from
others that he was still alive and ready to fight.

As Thomas rode back into the temporary camp above the beach, he saw what
could be the simple answer to his plans. Riding towards the tent kitchen he
called for Snot to come and see him. When the ever smiling boy arrived
beside his horse; Thomas looked at him with a smile of his own.

"Lieutenant Morgan I have a special job for you."

Thomas saw the smile widen as Snot was told he was now needed for something
special; Thomas thought the boys face would split in half as he waited for
Thomas to tell him what was needed.

"Lieutenant do you have another boy who can take over the kitchen duties
for a while?"

"Yes Sir, all of them can work without me around; they might even like it
for a change Sir."

"Good then I have something for you to do and it will mean you will be away
for some time. Can you come over to my tent and we will discuss it
further."

Snot Morgan jumped to attention and saluted while Thomas chuckled and
turned the horse for his tent where Estaban was just sitting down at the
small field table. Thomas soon had one of Estaban's boys arrive to take the
horse back to be rubbed down while Thomas sat with Estaban to wait for Snot
to arrive.

The young teen arrived moments later and Thomas told him to sit while he
explained what he wanted him to do.

"How is your riding ability Snot?"

"Quite good now Mister Marking; Colonel Colosio's men have been good at
teaching me."

"That's good; now what I want you to do is ride back to Vimeiro and get a
change of clothes, pack them in a pannier and then ride for Lisbon. I'll
give you a message for Major Jones and he will give you some coin. When you
get to Lisbon use what coin you need to find passage on a ship that's going
back to England. I'll give you a paper that may help you to find a place on
a ship. When you get to England I want you to go to your father and give
him a message from me then wait for his answer and return here. I want you
in uniform at all times and take your firearms with you. I want you to try
to be back here within three or four weeks if you can."

"Yes Sir, when should I leave for Vimeiro Sir?"

"Go and collect anything that belongs to you and come back here, I'll have
the papers ready for you then and Colonel Colosio will find a good horse
for you."

Snot saluted again and ran off; it was not often someone trusted him to do
something so important all on his own. Snot determined he would not let his
General down.

Thomas was just finishing the letter to help Snot find a ship passage. He
had written it just as Percy had shown him all those long months ago and
was signed with a black outline of a hand with the number 13 at the centre.

When Snot entered his tent, Thomas gave him the three messages. The first
was for Jones and would get Snot the coin needed for his journey; there was
also a foot note for Jervis to make a list of his medical needs. The second
was for Peter Morgan with a message about the soon to arrive new ship and
what Thomas hoped Peter could find for him as a cargo. Thomas was going to
have the Avante loaded with Oporto wines and anything else the new Captain
could find to fill his holds.

On the return journey the ship would hopefully carry the needed medicines
that Jervis had asked for and the rest of the back loading was left to the
wits of the new Captain. The last note was for Snot to use at the docks in
Lisbon which Thomas hoped would help to get him on a ship quickly.

Thomas explained it all to a very alert Snot. The young teen saluted and
before he ran for his waiting horse that Estaban had allocated for his use,
Thomas told him to ask Mister Carterton to come to the bay for a special
meeting. Snot's horse was to be stabled in Lisbon to wait for Snots return
from England.

Thomas could finally sit back and take a breath as he saw the first of the
wagons returning from Vimeiro. Thomas saw that there were now extra horses
attached to the wagon and as soon as it stopped near the huge pile of cargo
it was swarmed by his men and reloaded in very quick time. Thomas saw that
the driver changed places with another man so the wagon could move off as
soon as it was fully loaded.

It was only an hour before dark when the second empty wagon arrived to get
its second load. The same procedure was followed and the wagon was moving
out towards Vimeiro just as darkness fell an hour later.

A number of wagons continued to arrive one at a time through the night,
they were also reloaded quickly and the driver changed before starting
their return to Vimeiro. Thomas's men at the bay would keep up this system
until the full cargo had been taken back to their home valley. Thomas had
not intended to stay for such a long time at the bay but once he had asked
Mister Carterton to look at some type of dock for the ships return it was
decided to stay so all the men he had there could help to build Carterton's
design.

The weather had also turned for the worse and, although the bay was
protected from the sea by the unusual shape of the headland, the camp was
still battered when the wind rose and came off the landward side. There
were days when the heavy rains made working on the emerging dock almost
impossible yet the men struggled on with Mister Carterton's design as well
as reloading any wagons that made the trip back from Vimeiro.

Craven Morgan had stayed back at Vimeiro to retrain his men on the new guns
but had sent all of the horses to work on the wagons as the loads were far
too heavy for the normal four horses.

It was the last days of December when the final wagon left for home and
Thomas decided it was time for the men to get back for some well earned
rest; the only ones to stay were those asked for by Mister Carterton to
finish off the last of the work on the dock. When the last fifty men
finished the topping of the dock with cut stone, they would come back to
Vimeiro and have extra time off to rest.

With everything in order and those staying behind had been given enough
supplies to keep them going for the estimated extra week, Thomas led the
rest for home. Although most of the returning men were tired they were also
now very fit and had worked hard both during the day and many times late
into the night when wagons had arrived.

It did not take much urging to get the men to increase their pace so that
in only two and a half days they were marching through the pass and into
their home valley for some well earned rest; for Thomas it was just the
start of more long hours of planning. It would soon be time for El Toro to
reappear and harass the French like never before; there were debts of blood
to be paid and they were to be paid in full.

It was at the end of the first week of January 1812 and Thomas was now
almost fifteen although many said he looked older than his years; Thomas
put it all down to his injuries and the cost it had taken to heal and get
back to his normal self.

The previous night there had been another large party set out for him to
celebrate his birthday a little early and the arrival of Mister Carterton
and the fifty men left behind to finish the dock earlier on the same day
made Thomas twice as happy. The next morning he was alerted by the guard
that a rider was approaching at speed and he asked for him to be sent right
to him.

The rider was one of Prince Pedro Pimentel's messengers. The message was
both welcome and yet unwelcome as Thomas read the parchment. The Prince was
asking for his appearance at an estate just outside Lisbon in two weeks
time along with all of his officers. Thomas was informed that it was to be
a Ball in celebration for the start of the campaign season and would be
attended by all of the English, Spanish and Portuguese Officers and their
ladies; Thomas was asked to be there at least a day early for meetings with
the Prince before the Ball.

Thomas had Jones write a reply to say he would be there on time and sent
the tired rider off on his return. It was two days later that he saw the
returning men of the map making troop come through the gate at the head of
the valley.

Jeremy Smithson looked worn as did all the others, Thomas was to learn they
had been moving at their best speed to make it back with all the new maps
so Thomas could see what had so far been accomplished. Maketja was in the
lead with his twenty men of the scout squad while Carlito, Smithson and
Sergio led the three pack mules and urged them to hurry as they finally
closed on their home valley and some well needed rest.

Thomas saw how tired they all were and told them to go and rest, they could
tender their report the next day when they had time to think and get their
thoughts in proper order. The large barn at the end of the valley was now
almost bulging with the tightly packed supplies from the ship; they had
even had to use two of the smaller houses as powder stores to get it all
under cover.

Craven Morgan was working his gun crews mercilessly and in all conditions
while the rest of the small army went through their own training in
readiness for the upcoming attacks behind the French lines. Thomas had been
surprised when Mister Oliver Perrin asked for permission to train his men
to a new way of climbing. Oliver went into an explanation of how he had
seen the men of Austria climbing tall mountains with the use of ropes and
strange thick leather belts.

Olive told Thomas that his old Patron had taken him a number of times to
Europe during the summer months where he had seen many things not known in
England; the climbing was one of them. Thomas agreed that Oliver could
train his full corps in the hope that one day it could be used to their own
advantage. Thomas was not really enthused when he found out that the men
would be swinging down high cliffs at the end of ropes but Oliver told him
it would be perfectly safe as long as the men followed Oliver's rules.

Winter was almost over and it was only days before the Celebration Ball;
Snot had not yet returned but Thomas could not wait any longer if he wanted
to be on time for the meeting with the Prince. Thomas assembled all his
Officers and told them to pack their best dress uniforms; those who had not
had one had asked the Mothers of Vimeiro to make them one. Using the
patterns from Carmelo, Estaban and Thomas, the Mothers were soon hard at
work and had the uniforms ready well before they were needed.

The need to inform the men of what was to happen caused Thomas to call for
a general meeting where he informed the rest of the men that they would be
under the orders of their Sergeants until the Officers returned in a few
days. Thomas also told them that, if Snot returned before he was back then
the young Lieutenant was to stay and wait for Thomas's return and then give
his report.

The next morning and in the very early light of dawn Thomas led all his
officers out of the valley and onto the road for Lisbon. They would ride
hard and hoped to make the Capital before dark which would mean they would
not be stopping for lunch but eat in the saddle as they went. All of the
officers wore their normal arms as they travelled and would only change
into their dress uniforms once it was time to go to the Ball.

They all arrived in Lisbon just after dark which for Thomas just suited him
fine, the less number of people that saw them at this stage could only be
better for them all. There had been no arrangements made for their stay in
Lisbon and so it took another hour for them to find an Inn that could
accommodate them and their horses; it also suited Thomas that the Inn was
more towards the outer edges of the main city.

The next morning Thomas told the officers to take the day off; only
Carmelo, Estaban, Lorenco and Thomas had to go to the meeting and he would
tell the others all about it when they returned. The other officers were to
use the time off to go about the city and have fun, there were many places
they could spend some of their coins that they had amassed over time and
not spent. Thomas gave strict orders that the older officers were to watch
over the younger ones as they may have ideas of using some of their
youthful exuberance to cause trouble in the city while Thomas and the
Senior Officers were away.

Thomas and the other three rode off towards the Estate where the Prince
waited for them. The message Thomas had received gave instruction on how to
find the Estate which proved to be on the other side of Lisbon, which did
not make Thomas exactly happy as he did not want to be recognised by any of
the thousands of English soldiers now in the city.

It would have set Thomas's mind to rest had he known that no one would have
recognised him nor that as everyone thought he was now dead, there was no
one looking for a young Spanish Officer; even so Thomas kept his black hat
pulled low over his face and his head down a little as they rode at a quick
trot through the city until they could see the large Estate in the
distance.

Thomas and his three friends were ushered through the large gates without
pause and directed towards the rear of the huge Hacienda where their horses
would be taken care of while they were in their meeting. The estate was
well guarded by a huge number of soldiers which were on constant patrol
around the large high walls of the hacienda as Thomas and his friends found
their way to the rear.

Once the horses had been handed to a number of hostlers, the young Officers
made their way to a side door that had the Prince standing outside and
waiting for them. The four young Officers stopped and saluted the partially
dressed Prince as he stood with a mug of cafe in his hands; had anyone been
watching they would never have thought the half dressed young man was a
Prince by his casual demeanour.

"Welcome Don Thomasino, you and your friends are just in time for
Cafe. Will you join me?"

"Thank you Your Highness; we didn't stop to have ours this morning."
Replied Thomas.

"Good, then it is just the right time for us to relax before we have to
talk about more serious things. How is your little army coming along? Do
you have everything you need?"

"The men are training well Your Highness and want nothing more than to
repay the French. As to supplies we have been fortunate enough to have an
English ship come into our hands, it had much of what we needed."

"Ah yes, I did hear of a ship hiding in a bay on the coast, my informants
thought it may have been smugglers trying to bring in supplies for the
rebels that fight with the French but once I had a description of the men
unloading her I had an idea it may well be you and your men. Did they have
everything you needed?"

"Just about Your Highness, we were in need of medical supplies but that is
now being taken care of as we speak."

"Good, now then here is your cafes, let's sit and talk of other things
while we drink."

The conversation now turned to more mundane things, the weather, the influx
of troops into the city and anything else that was not directly about the
upcoming campaign season. The Prince was relaxed and seemed to have an air
about him of a normal trader talking about business rather than one of the
most important men in the Spanish forces.

It was fully an hour later and after a light breakfast had been served and
eaten before the Prince asked them to follow him into his temporary war
room off to the side of the main house. The room had been set up with huge
maps of Spain which marked where they thought the French had bivouacked
over winter and where they were thought to try to attack in the spring.

Thomas looked at the many maps and realised how much better and more
detailed Mister Smithson's were. Thomas and his friends were pointed to
chairs around a large table and the Prince took the one in front of the
largest map; it was time to get down to business. Thomas and the others had
just taken their seats when a side door was opened and a number of Spain's
Senior Officers walked into the war room.

Thomas and his friend rose from their chairs and waited for the men to
enter as the Prince smiled at the newcomers before saying.

"Don Thomasino, I presume you know some of these men? General Cuesta,
General Martino and of course our most valued ally General Livorno so let
me introduce you to the others." Thomas smiled at the three Generals as
they also returned a nod and smile before the Prince continued.

"Don Thomasino this is General Braun and General Arriaga of the Portuguese
Artillery and finally General Joaquin Blake y Joyes, Commander in Chief of
all Spanish forces. As you may know Don Thomasino, the English have
insisted we use their Senior Officers to command most of our troops but I
can assure you we also have our own small cabal of selected Officers that
report directly to the Cortes. Gentlemen; General Don Thomasino de Toro
Commander of the 1r Regimiento Espanol Guerrillas, better known as the
Patron El Toro."

Thomas was surprised when all of these high ranking Generals snapped to
attention and saluted him before they broke into smiles and went about
shaking his hand. General Blake y Joyes spoke for the others.

"Don Thomasino we are glad that the report of your early demise was it
seems, a little premature. I personally would like to extend my thanks for
all you have done to save our homeland and hope that you can now once again
become the terror of the French. Your reputation and that of your unusual
army has put back bone into our own men and they now meet the French with
far less hesitation."

Thomas blushed at the fine words and then replied.

"Thank you Sir, I also hope we can once again take revenge on the French
invaders for the people of Spain and Portugal."

"I'm sure you will Don Thomasino and if there is ever anything I can help
you with then please send word and it shall be done."

The Prince now interrupted as he indicated the open chairs for the new
Generals to sit at.

"Gentlemen we have business at hand if you would take your seats and we can
bring our esteemed friend up to date with the current situation."

There was a shuffling of chairs as everyone found a place at the table to
sit in comfort before the Prince continued.

"Don Thomasino, I am not sure how much you know about the current situation
as I know you have been well out of sight and sound for most of your time
spent recovering so I shall tell you what has happened so far before we get
into what is to come. Ten days ago Viscount Wellington defeated the French
at Ciudad Rodrigo and has pushed them back towards Salamanca where they are
resetting their lines. At the moment he is moving his forces south towards
Badajoz; I am told he hopes to also defeat them there to protect his rear
before turning back north and taking Salamanca around the middle of the
year."

The Prince paused as he watched Thomas take in all the new information
before continuing.

"Now the main reason I have asked you here is that once again we are in
need of your special talents. As I have already said, our Generals are
somewhat hampered by the English Officers need to command most of our
forces so it leaves us little lee way to do things for ourselves. Now then
Don Thomasino, as you are; to the best of the English Army's knowledge now
dead, we have a chance for you to be totally free to do what you and your
men do best. The French forces far outnumber ours and the English so we are
in bad need for you to hunt them behind their lines as you have before. As
you also achieved the objective of pulling large numbers of troops back to
guard their lines of supply, we are hoping you can do it once again."

Thomas watched and nodded as he listened to the plans of the Prince.

"We have heard vague rumours of Napoleon wanting to attack Russia; if he
does this then he will not have reinforcements for Spain so the more
disruptions you can cause for them the less men we will have to face on the
battle field. Do you think you can achieve this for us Don Thomasino?"

"We will give it our utmost best Your Highness."

"I'm sure you will Don Thomasino. Now then let me show you what we have so
far."

The Prince followed by all of the others, stood up and went to the largest
map hanging on the wall. Prince Pedro began to point out the area he wanted
Thomas and his men to disrupt.

"The area here behind Salamanca is where we would like you to strike, there
are many other places but your small force would be stretched too far for
safety so we thought you would be better used just behind Salamanca until
it is taken then you could move on to other areas to do the same once
again."

"What are the other places you had in mind Your Highness?"

"Well it is a large part of Spain and the distances may even end up being
your defeat if you tried to spread your men too thin."

"Perhaps you could just show me Your Highness and then we will see what we
can do about them?"

"Well if you think so Don Thomasino?"

Thomas smiled as he nodded; it almost seemed that the Prince did not really
grasp what he and his small army could really do if they had free rein. The
Prince looked deeply at Thomas as though trying to gauge his sincerity but
he then sighed and turned back to the large map.

"The easiest way would be for me to tell you that the Viscount has ideas of
entering Madrid before the campaign season is over, possibly around August
or September depending on the French resistance. It leaves the question
that any area that could be a supply line or line used to bring in
reinforcements would be a possible place to attack."

The Prince showed Thomas the placing on the map of Madrid and the outlying
areas that could possibly be resupply lines. Thomas stood silently and
looked over the map as his brain went into planning mode. After a few
minutes of inspecting the map and letting his imagination run wild he
turned back to the Prince and began to ask questions.

"Your Highness, do you know what roads they are using for supply lines to
the north and east of Madrid?"

"Well yes Don Thomasino, we have quite detailed reports on their movements
of supplies. It would seem Don Thomasino that you have inspired many of the
ordinary people to rise up against the French now that they are being
pushed back by the English forces. There were tales of some fifty thousand
peasants around the country making raids on small patrols of French troops
all over the country. It seems their favourite thing is to leave behind a
certain small red and gold flag with a bulls head on it. From some of the
reports I have seen the French are not happy to have El Toro still in the
field and spread all over the countryside; especially as they reported that
you were killed at Olivenca."

"The people are raiding them on their own? What about reprisals, the French
are known for taking revenge on any rebellion by the people."

"There have been some reprisals but it seems the French are not as avid
about going into small towns as they once were so many of the people have
gone unpunished by them, something that could work in your favour. So Don
Thomasino, what do you think?"

"Our plan since we first started is to disrupt the French over as wide an
area as we can at the same time; it has worked for us in the past and keeps
the French on their toes as they never know when or where we are going to
strike. I think Your Highness we have to continue as we always have."

"So you plan to divide your forces and attempt to make the French run all
over Spain hunting for you?"

"Yes Your Highness but we also plan to do far more damage than they can
sustain. If I may Your Highness, I will show you what I have thought out so
far."

The Prince stepped back from the map and let Thomas move in close. After a
few more minutes of thought, Thomas began to give a rough outline of his
plan.

"I think we should start here at Medina del Campo, it is close to Salamanca
and must be on their main supply route. As this must be a very important
place for them we will hit it hard and very fast then disappear before they
can bring troops up from Salamanca. Next we will hit Tudela, Aranda,
Somosiera and Toro all at the same time. As you can see on the map Your
Highness it is in the form of a circle that covers a wide area behind their
lines; it may hopefully give them the idea they are now surrounded to the
north and east. Even though we don't have the numbers it should play on
their minds that it would appear they now have no line of retreat."

The Prince and other Senior Officers looked at the map and Thomas saw them
all nodding their heads at the audacious plan, it was once again the Prince
that brought up what he perceived as a problem for Thomas.

"Don Thomasino, what you plan will take thousands of troops and you have
only a few hundred, how can you hope to carry it out without being
annihilated. At the first sound of a shot they will have troops all over
you. Medina del Campo must be one of their staging areas as close to
Salamanca as it is?"

"Surprise Your Highness, I am hoping it would be the last thing they would
think we would do so close to their main lines, that and the fact we will
be long gone before they can send reinforcements."

"A bold plan Don Thomasino, we can only hope you know what you are doing,
on the other hand; if you were to get away with it then it would put the
fear of God into the French when they realise they are not safe anywhere in
Spain. How will you be able to attack all of the other places with so few
men?"

"Our mobility Your Highness. Each place will be attacked by some of our
best men who can move with surprising speed when the need arises. Our way
of fighting Your Highness is to never stop and fight a battle; you know the
outcome of that type of fighting for us after Olivenca. We move in fast, do
as much damage as we can then disappear before they can organise their
defences or come after us."

"I see, well Don Thomasino what do you have planned once the French are
running around the north looking for you?"

"We will then attack both Molina and Villaviciosa, again at the same time
and draw more of them to the east, hopefully from around the Madrid
defences and, as a last needle for them, when we have a date for the attack
on Salamanca we will then attack in the Guadarrama Pass near Escorial, it
should make them feel that the pass to Madrid is closed off and they will
feel more isolated."

"You have described a large area of Spain Don Thomasino, if you succeed
then the French will certainly be on the back foot as it were; I hope you
can make it work, the more of them running around the country chasing you
then the better we will all be when it comes time for battle. Now Don
Thomasino, there is only one thing more to discuss."

"And what is that Your Highness?"

"The celebrations for tomorrow. We are planning a long day of entertainment
for our English friends. I know they traditionally have a ball in the
evening but this year I have prevailed upon the Viscount to let me host the
festivities. It will start in the afternoon once the heat of the day is
past and then continue on into the evening with the main Ball. Here is what
I would like from you Don Thomasino, it should make the day even more
enjoyable and I cannot wait to see the looks on certain people's faces."

For the next hour, Thomas and his friends listened and planned with the
Prince for the next day. While the Ball was the last thing Thomas wanted to
look forward to, the plan set up by the Prince had a certain amount of fun
in it and that Thomas could not ignore or even want to avoid.

When the planning for the celebrations was finally done, the Prince called
a halt to the rest of the day and then led Thomas and his friends outside
to see where the beginning of the celebrations would be held and the large
garden area that the guests would be making use of until the evening Ball.

Once outside of the main Hacienda, Thomas saw that they were standing on a
huge patio paved with granite and at the centre was a wide set of stone
steps which led down to a wide expanse of green lawn. There was space
enough for hundreds of people on both the patio and the immaculate
gardens. Prince Pedro spread his arms and smiled at Thomas as he explained
what he had in mind for the next day.

"I will have my men appear from over there at the far corner of the
Hacienda, they will form ranks at that end of the gardens. If you are in
place inside I will have one of my servants bring me the message and when
my men begin I would like you to lead your officers through the main
entrance and out here onto the top of the patio close by those steps. I
will be standing at the top with some of the most Senior Officers and it
will be from there I will start the introductions; if there is some way for
you to hide your features until the last moment it would add to the fun."

Thomas had a broad smile on his face as he caught onto what the Prince was
trying to do, the idea of causing a little discomfort to any English
Officers that may be within sight was just another added benefit for
Thomas.

"I will do my best Your Highness. This may be the first time I am looking
forward to an official function."

The Prince clapped his hands and smiled widely as he then clapped Thomas on
the back with a glint of humour in his eyes.

"Good then we will see you and your Officers at about 4 of the clock. I
have asked the guests to arrive for the festivities at 3 of the clock so
with luck most will be here before you put in your appearance. Well my
young friend, it is time for rest. Until tomorrow and we shall see what we
see. I must confess I am looking forward to this with great anticipation."

"As am I Your Highness. Until tomorrow and thank you for all you have done
for myself and my men."

The two shook hands and then Thomas did the same with the rest of the
Senior Officers before he turned and left the open patio with his friends
as he heard the Prince and the Officers chuckling about the plans for the
festivities.



TBC.