Boys of the Light Brigade: A Story of Spain and the Peninsular War

by Herbert Strang

  *CHAPTER XXVII*

  *The Eleventh Hour*

  Tantaene Irae?--Taking thought--Pepito's Charge--Horrors of theSiege--Beyond the River--A Ring of Steel--Unconquered Still--PatriotsAll

  With morning light the French completed their capture of the Franciscanconvent. By a series of desperate charges they cleared the vast ruinsof the Spaniards who had held their position during the night, the braveComte de Fleury and his men were bayoneted on the narrow stairway of thebell-tower, and with one final rush the French pursued the fleeingremnant of the defenders to the very edge of the Coso.

  Not long afterwards the French outposts beyond the Aljafferia Castlewere surprised to see a strange and motley procession issue from thePortillo Gate. A mob of peasants--for the most part women andchildren--ragged, famished, fever-stricken, almost mad, rushed pell-melltowards the French lines, preferring to die by the hands of the enemyrather than endure longer the terrors of the beleaguered city. Reachingthe outposts, they begged to be allowed to pass through towards theirvillage homes; this being refused, they implored the French to killthem, not to drive them back. But the marshal would not forgo thisopportunity of teaching the obstinate defenders a lesson. He orderedthe poor creatures to be fed, and then sent back to the city, hopingthereby to impress the Spaniards both with his humanity and with theabundance of his stores.

  When news of this incident was brought to Jack, he read it at once as asign that the inevitable end could not now be long delayed. Heroic asthe defence had been, the strain upon poor human nature was too heavy tobe borne, and though the priests and the mob-leaders were stillvehemently opposed to surrender, it was clear that only surrender wouldsave the city from the most horrible of fates. Not even the mostviolent fanatic would have the heart to prolong the struggle for morethan a few days.

  Things being still quiet in his own quarter, Jack determined to seeJuanita, and advise her upon her course when the city fell. He left DonCristobal in charge, and made his tortuous way around the captured partof the town towards the northern end of the city. Pepito accompaniedhim.

  Juanita was looking pale and worn. Her aunt was seriously ill, and thegirl had spent sleepless nights in watching her.

  "Oh, Jack, Jack," she cried, "surely the end must come now! It iswicked of our Junta to hold out longer. The people are dying like flies.Two were carried out of this very house yesterday. Are we all to die?"

  "General Palafox must capitulate soon," said Jack, "and that is what Iwanted to see you about. Have you thought of what you will do when thecapitulation takes place?"

  "Why, you will be with me; you will look after my poor aunt and me."

  "No, I shall be a prisoner."

  "A prisoner! Oh, but you must escape! It will be easy to escape in theconfusion. What shall we do if you are a prisoner, Jack?"

  "I can't run away. I have to defend my quarter till the last. Andthen--well, it's the fortune of war--the French will make sure of allthe officers, you may depend on that. But about yourself, Juanita; youwon't be in any danger--except from Miguel."

  "Why from Miguel? Won't he be a prisoner too?"

  Jack laughed grimly.

  "Miguel has taken care of that. Last night he disappeared fromSaragossa--just in time to escape being gibbeted as an afrancesado, atraitor, and a spy."

  Juanita's eyes blazed, her cheeks flamed with the hot Spanish blood.

  "Kill him! Kill him, Jack!" she cried. "He was a traitor to my father;he is a traitor to Spain! Oh, if I were a man!"

  Jack was amazed at the girl's fury.

  "I don't think I'd like to soil my hands with him," he said quietly."Besides, he will keep out of my way. But don't you see, Juanita, thathe will come in with the French, and then--I'm afraid he might botheryou, you know."

  Juanita drew herself up with a proud air.

  "I could borrow a knife!" she said. "A Spanish girl is not afraid todie."

  "Don't talk like that. What need is there for you to die? I shall haveto give you orders, as I give my men. Senorita Juanita Alvarez, you areto make your way, after the capitulation, to some place of safety, whereI will find you--

  "You, a prisoner?"

  "Oh, I don't mean to remain a prisoner! I shall say good-bye to mycaptors at the earliest possible moment, and then find you, and we willsteal our way to the coast, and find a ship and sail for England.Mother will be glad to see you."

  "I have always wanted to see England," said Juanita musingly. "But whatabout my property--that all this mystery is about?"

  "We don't know where it is; but, you remember, a duplicate letter wassent to father in London, and we can find out all about it there. Andthen, when the war is over, no doubt father will come back with you andput everything straight. And then--"

  "Well, Senor?" said Juanita archly.

  "Oh, then I suppose you'll marry a Don--of some sort--"

  "How dare you, Senor Lumsden!" she cried with flashing eyes.

  Jack looked astonished at her sudden anger.

  "But never mind that," he went on. "The question is, is there anywherethat you can go to when the city falls?"

  "Ay de mi! Our old country house near Morata was shut up months ago;only one old man remains in charge. The garden must now be a waste. ButI have friends at Calatayud, some miles farther away, and I could staywith them. It is quite sixty miles distant. Could I get there safely?"

  "I think so. After the siege many peasants will be returning to theirhomes. I will enquire if any are going in that direction, and will letyou know if I find some respectable people with whom you might travel.Your old duenna would, of course, go with you. And then I thought oflending you a special friend of my own, who has done me many a goodturn; he is outside now--a young gipsy boy who--

  "Pepito! Oh, he and I are good friends!"

  "You know him, then?"

  "Of course I do. He comes to see me every day, and talks about you allthe time. Strange to say, he thinks a great deal of you, Jack."

  "Poor little chap! I owe him a good deal. Well, he shall go with you,and you will make your way to Calatayud, and I will come to you therein--let me see, under a week. I shall have had enough of the Frenchmenin a week."

  "But suppose you can't escape, Jack?"

  "Never fear," said Jack with a smile. "That is all arranged, then?"

  "Yes, I suppose so," replied Juanita doubtfully. "You will be sure tofind me, Jack?"

  "Unless you hide away--like your treasure."

  Returning to his quarter he found that the French had still made nofurther attempt upon it. The situation indeed, remained unchanged forseveral days. They were so fully occupied in pushing the advantage theyhad gained in the direction of the Coso that they could afford to leaveJack's little block of buildings for the present. They continued tooccupy the ruins facing the Casa Vallejo, and Jack discovered, byobservations made from the roofs of the Casas Tobar and Alvarez, that aconsiderable body of troops was held ready in Santa Engracia toreinforce any point that should be threatened by the Spaniards.

  Though his own position was thus left unmolested, every few hoursbrought news of the steady progress the enemy were making elsewhere.One after another the blocks of buildings adjacent to the Franciscanconvent fell into their hands. Jack saw that, even if he could hold hisown in front, the French were gradually creeping around his flank, andthat in the course of a few days he would be attacked from the east aswell as the north. On February 12th Don Casimir sent for the gun he hadlent. An urgent message had come from Palafox asking for all artillerythat could be spared. It was needed for the defence of the Coso. TheFrench had established two batteries among the ruins of the convent, oneof which raked the Coso, while the other commanded the street leading tothe bridge across the river. Jack had already withdrawn Don Casimir'sgun from the direct view of the French, and he trusted that its totaldisappearance from his defences would remain for some time undiscovered.

 
But although he was not seriously pressed, he was alarmed to see how hissmall force had dwindled and was still dwindling in numbers. A few fellby the musket-shots of the French; far more dropped out throughsickness, and of these almost none recovered. A form of typhus feverhad broken out in the city, attacking especially the guerrilleros fromthe country and wounded soldiers who had no fixed homes. The CountessBureta was dead; many of the other ladies who had nobly done their bestin nursing the sick and wounded had perished; the stock of medicines wasexhausted. Many invalids lay untended on the stone pavements of thecourtyards, with nothing but a little straw for their beds. In theintervals of fighting the worn survivors were to be seen sitting onstone benches, shivering in spite of their cloaks, their hands scarcelyable to hold their weapons. So weak were they that the slightest woundproved fatal. Jack was sick at heart as he saw his ranks depleted dayby day through the loss of some stalwart guerrillero or seasoned tiradorwho had succumbed to an enemy more terrible than the French.

  Once or twice he thought of finding relief in leading a desperate sortieon the enemy's entrenchments. But consideration showed him the futilityof any such move. He might inflict some loss on the French, but even ifhe drove them from their advanced position, he could not hope to retainthe ground he might thus win. His efforts must be confined to defensivework; he must hold his own, as he had hitherto succeeded in doing. Hehad now been for a fortnight in command of the Casa Alvarez district,and during that period the French had not made any real progress.Indeed, they had lost very heavily in men, and had suffered so manydisasters from the Spanish mines that they appeared for the present tohave suspended all mining operations in Jack's quarter.

  As the days passed by without any serious demonstration against hisposition, Jack inferred that the French, like the Spaniards, weresuffering from the long-continued strain. The force under MarshalLannes' command was evidently not sufficient to maintain a simultaneousattack on all the points at which they had effected an entrance into thecity. On the 13th the corps sent out to drive away the army collectedby Francisco Palafox returned to the siege; their mere appearance hadbeen sufficient to scatter the relieving army of which the Saragossanshad expected so much. It was at once apparent that the interruptedattack on the San Lazaro suburb was to be actively pressed. The Frenchentrenchments were pushed closer to the river; heavy siege-guns werebrought into position, and epaulements were constructed across all theroads by which the Spaniards holding the suburb could escape.

  On February 18th a vigorous bombardment was commenced. No fewer thanfifty-two guns opened fire at daybreak, the main point of attack beingthe San Lazaro convent, which commanded the bridge across the Ebro, thesole link between the city and the suburb. The effect of thebombardment was stupendous. Roofs crashed in beneath the burstingbombs, the crackle of flames was mingled with the clang of alarm-bellsfrom every belfry, the whole city shook as with an earthquake. TheSpanish batteries responded vigorously. The Spaniards fought for everyinch of ground in the streets, but they were steadily beaten back. Abreach was made in the convent wall; the French rushed in, massacringthe monks who dauntlessly opposed them, cutting down without mercycrowds of men, women, and children who had sought a refuge in the churchitself. The yells of the combatants were mingled with the screams ofthe wounded and dying, and not till every one of the occupants of theconvent was slain did the hideous clamour cease.

  Retreat to the city was now cut off, and scattered bands of Spaniardswandered frantically about, seeking a means of escape and finding none.Three hundred, led by a bold fellow named Fernando Gonzalez, succeededin running the gauntlet of the French fusillade and forcing their wayacross the bridge into Saragossa. Many who sought to escape by theriver were drowned, and 3000 who tried to make their way along the banktowards the country were headed off by a regiment of French cavalry andcompelled to lay down their arms. Palafox himself, though so ill thathe could scarcely stand, came at the head of his troops to the succourof the suburb, but his efforts were vain. The French remained mastersof the position, and were now able to place their guns so as to commandthe northern part of the city, which hitherto had been almost untouched.

  While this terrible struggle had been in progress, the Spaniards hadsuffered a serious disaster elsewhere. At three in the afternoon threehuge mines, charged with more than two tons of powder, were explodedbeneath the University, which was carried with a rush. With it fellseveral buildings in its neighbourhood, and in the evening the Frenchpenetrated to the Coso, where they gained several houses, among them onewhich had repulsed no fewer than ten previous assaults. The Spaniardslost ground also near the Trinity convent, and the district known as theTanneries began to suffer severely from the new French works thrown upin the captured suburb of San Lazaro.

  That night Jack held a serious consultation with Don Cristobal andseveral of his more trusty men. The successes won by the French inother parts of the town would no doubt encourage them to make a renewedattack on the only quarter along its outer rim which had yet withstoodthem.

  "I am not going to give it up without a tussle," said Jack resolutely."If they bring artillery to bear, our barricades must fall; but we stillhave the houses opposite. The Y mines in Tobar and Vega will doenormous damage if the French get in there. I rather suspect they willfight shy of the houses and try to rush in from the streets. All thatwe can do with our little force is to man the windows and roofs of thehouses and delay them as long as possible."

  It was a pathetic sight to see the unquenched eagerness of the haggardcrowd. Not one faltered; all were as resolute as though it were thefirst day of the siege. Jack arranged with them for their respectiveposts on the morrow, and waited anxiously for daylight.

  About twelve o'clock on February 20th Tio Jorge and Jorge Arcos werestaying their hunger in the latter's cafe with a mess of boiled rice andhalf-baked corn-meal. Their begrimed, black-bearded faces wore a lookof savage gloom. No one was with them. Outside, in the Coso, not aliving person was to be seen.

  "By all the saints, I vow I will not surrender!" Tio Jorge was saying.

  "Nor I!" replied his friend. "Nor would the general himself, but thathe is ill. Had he been well, no one could have persuaded him to beg forterms from the French dog. When I heard it last night I could notbelieve the news. For two months we have fought; shall we yield now? Ifor one will not yield; I will die rather!"

  "And we could have told the general it would be of no use. We havekilled too many of the accursed French for them to let us march away. Icould have laughed when Senor Casseillas came back after his journey tothe French camp, and said that we must lay down our arms withoutconditions. And the general is dying! God have his soul! He has giventhe command to San March. Ay, 'twas San March who lost the MonteTorrero--curse him! But the Junta!--the saints be praised our bravepadres are members of the Junta, and will not let the others yield.Traitors, por Dios! I myself will shoot any man, high or low, whocounsels surrender. But Don Basilio, and Padre Consolacion, and PadreSantiago Sass--ah, they will never yield! The priests of Spain are men,mi amigo!"

  "Yes; they will fight and--"

  A shattering explosion from the other side of the Coso interrupted him.

  "Where is that?" cried Tio Jorge, starting up. Running to the door hesaw, beyond the Franciscan convent, a cascade of dust and stonesdarkening the air. "'Tis towards the Casa Alvarez," he cried, "wherethe English Senor still holds out. The dogs are attacking there. Come,Jorge Arcos, we can do nothing elsewhere; come, and let us help thebrave Englishman!"

  Together they left the cafe. The crash of the explosion had drawnothers to the street, and as the two leaders hurried along, past thebarricades, up narrow by-ways, pursuing a roundabout course towards theHuerba, they were joined by ones and twos and threes, who came in answerto their hail. At the corner of a lane near the Seminary thirty men whohad escaped with Fernando Gonzalez from San Lazaro swelled theirnumbers.

  "To the Casa Alvarez!" shouted Tio Jorge.

 
; A second explosion made him hasten still more eagerly.

  "To the Casa Alvarez!" he repeated. "War to the knife!"