Chapter XX
O'Brien fights a duel with a French officer, and proves that the greatart of fencing is knowing nothing about it--We arrive at our newquarters, which we find very secure.
At night we arrived at a small town, the name of which I forget. Here wewere all put into an old church for the night, and a very bad night wepassed. They did not even give us a little straw to lie down upon: theroof of the church had partly fallen in, and the moon shone through verybrightly. This was some comfort; for to have been shut up in the dark,seventy-five in number, would have been very miserable. We were afraidto lie down anywhere, as, like all ruined buildings in France, theground was covered with filth, and the smell was shocking. O'Brien wasvery thoughtful, and would hardly answer any question that I put to him;it was evident that he was brooding over the affront which he hadreceived from the French officer. At daybreak, the door of the churchwas again opened by the French soldiers, and we were conducted to thesquare of the town, where we found the troops quartered, drawn up withtheir officers, to receive us from the detachment who had escorted usfrom Toulon. We were very much pleased with this, as we knew that weshould be forwarded by another detachment, and thus be rid of the brutalofficer who had hitherto had charge of the prisoners. But we were rid ofhim in another way. As the French officers walked along our ranks tolook at us, I perceived among them a captain, whom we had known veryintimately when we were living at Cette with Colonel O'Brien. I criedout his name immediately; he turned round, and seeing O'Brien and me, hecame up to us, shaking us by the hand, and expressing his surprise atfinding us in such a situation. O'Brien explained to him how we had beentreated, at which he expressed his indignation, as did the otherofficers who had collected round us. The major who commanded the troopsin the town turned to the French officer (he was only a lieutenant) whohad conducted us from Toulon, and demanded of him his reason forbehaving to us in such an unworthy manner. He denied having treated usill, and said that he had been informed that we had put on officers'dresses which did not belong to us. At this O'Brien declared that he wasa liar, and a cowardly _foutre_, that he had struck him with the back ofhis sabre, which he would not have dared do if he had not been aprisoner; adding, that all he requested was satisfaction for the insultoffered to him, and appealed to the officers whether, if it wererefused, the lieutenant's epaulets ought not to be cut off hisshoulders. The major commandant and the officers retired to consult,and, after a few minutes, they agreed that the lieutenant was bound togive the satisfaction required. The lieutenant replied that he wasready; but, at the same time, did not appear to be very willing. Theprisoners were left in charge of the soldiers, under a junior officer,while the others, accompanied by O'Brien, myself, and the lieutenant,walked to a short distance outside the town. As we proceeded there, Iasked O'Brien with what weapons they would fight.
"I take it for granted," replied he, "that it will be with the smallsword."
"But," said I, "do you know anything about fencing?"
"Devil a bit, Peter; but that's all in my favour."
"How can that be?" replied I.
"I'll tell you, Peter. If one man fences well, and another is but anindifferent hand at it, it is clear that the first will run the otherthrough the body; but, if the other knows nothing at all about it, whythen, Peter, the case is not quite so clear: because the good fencer isalmost as much puzzled by your ignorance as you are by his skill, andyou become on more equal terms. Now, Peter, I've made up my mind thatI'll run that fellow through the body, and so I will, as sure as I am anO'Brien."
"Well, I hope you will; but pray do not be too sure."
"It's feeling sure that will make me able to do it, Peter. By the bloodof the O'Briens! didn't he slap me with his sword, as if I were a clownin the pantomime. Peter, I'll kill the harlequin scoundrel, and myword's as good as my bond!"
By this time we had arrived at the ground. The French lieutenantstripped to his shirt and trousers; O'Brien did the same, kicking hisboots off, and standing upon the wet grass in his stockings. The swordswere measured, and handed to them; they took their distance, and set to.I must say, that I was breathless with anxiety; the idea of losingO'Brien struck me with grief and terror. I then felt the value of allhis kindness to me, and would have taken his place, and have been runthrough the body, rather than he should have been hurt. At first,O'Brien put himself in the correct attitude of defence, in imitation ofthe lieutenant, but this was for a very few seconds; he suddenly made aspring, and rushed on to his adversary, stabbing at him with a velocityquite astonishing, the lieutenant parrying in his defence, until at lasthe had an opportunity of lungeing at O'Brien. O'Brien, who no longerkept his left arm raised in equipoise, caught the sword of thelieutenant at within six inches of the point, and directing it under hisleft arm, as he rushed in, passed his own through the lieutenant's body.It was all over in less than a minute--the lieutenant did not live halfan hour afterwards. The French officers were very much surprised at theresult, for they perceived at once that O'Brien knew nothing of fencing.O'Brien gathered a tuft of grass, wiped the sword, which he presented tothe officer to whom it belonged, and thanking the major and the whole ofthem for their impartiality and gentlemanlike conduct, led the way tothe square, where he again took his station in the ranks of theprisoners.
Shortly after, the major commandant came up to us, and asked whether wewould accept of our parole, as, in that case, we might travel as wepleased. We consented, with many thanks for his civility and kindness;but I could not help thinking at the time, that the French officers werea little mortified at O'Brien's success, although they were toohonourable to express the feeling. O'Brien told me, after we had quittedthe town, that had it not been for the handsome conduct of the officers,he would not have accepted our parole, as he felt convinced that wecould have easily made our escape. We talked over the matter a longwhile, and at last agreed that there would be a better chance of successby and by, when more closely guarded, than there would be now, underconsideration of all circumstances, as it required previously concertedarrangements to get out of the country.
I had almost forgotten to say, that on our return after the duel thecutter's midshipman called out to O'Brien, requesting him to state tothe commandant that he was also an officer; but O'Brien replied, thatthere was no evidence for it but his bare word. If he was an officer hemust prove it himself, as everything in his appearance flatlycontradicted his assertion.
"It's very hard," replied the midshipman, "that because my jacket's alittle tarry or so I must lose my rank."
"My dear fellow," replied O'Brien, "it's not because your jacket's alittle tarry; it is because what the Frenchmen call your _tout ensemble_is quite disgraceful in an officer. Look at your face in the firstpuddle, and you'll find that it would dirty the water you look into.Look at your shoulders above your ears, and your back with a bow like a_kink_ in a cable. Your trowsers, sir, you have pulled your legs too farthrough, showing a foot and a half of worsted stockings. In short, lookat yourself altogether, and then tell me, provided you be an officer,whether, from respect to the service, it would not be my duty tocontradict it. It goes against my conscience, my dear fellow; butrecollect that when we arrive at the depot, you will be able to proveit, so it's only waiting a little while, until the captains will passtheir word for you, which is more than I will."
"Well, it's very hard," replied the midshipman, "that I must go oneating this black rye bread; and very unkind of you."
"It's very kind of me, you spalpeen of the Snapper. Prison will be aparadise to you, when you get into good commons. How you'll relish yourgrub by-and-by! So now shut your pan, or by the tail of Jonah's whale,I'll swear you're a Spaniard."
I could not help thinking that O'Brien was very severe upon the poorlad, and I expostulated with him afterwards. He replied, "Peter, if, asa cutter's midshipman, he is a bit of an officer, the devil a bit is heof a gentleman, either born or bred: and I'm not bound to bail everyblackguard-looking chap that I meet. By the head of St Peter, I wou
ldblush to be seen in his company, if I were in the wildest bog inIreland, with nothing but an old crow as spectator."
We were now again permitted to be on our parole, and received everyattention and kindness from the different officers who commanded thedetachments which passed the prisoners from one town to another. In afew days we arrived at Montpelier, where we had orders to remain a shorttime until directions were received from Government as to the depots forprisoners to which we were to be sent. At this delightful town, we hadunlimited parole, not even a gendarme accompanying us. We lived at thetable d'hote, were permitted to walk about where we pleased, and amusedourselves every evening at the theatre. During our stay there we wroteto Colonel O'Brien at Cette, thanking him for his kindness, andnarrating what had occurred since we parted. I also wrote to Celeste,inclosing my letter unsealed in the one to Colonel O'Brien. I told herthe history of O'Brien's duel, and all I could think would interest her;how sorry I was to have parted from her; that I never would forget her;and trusted that some day, as she was only half a Frenchwoman, we shouldmeet again. Before we left Montpelier, we had the pleasure of receivinganswers to our letters: the colonel's letters were very kind,particularly the one to me, in which he called me his dear boy, andhoped that I should soon rejoin my friends, and prove an ornament to mycountry. In his letter to O'Brien, he requested him not to run me intouseless danger--to recollect that I was not so well able to undergoextreme hardship. I have no doubt but that this caution referred toO'Brien's intention to escape from prison, which he had not concealedfrom the colonel, and the probability that I would be a partner in theattempt. The answer from Celeste was written in English; but she musthave had assistance from her father, or she could not have succeeded sowell. It was like herself, very kind and affectionate; and also endedwith wishing me a speedy return to my friends, who must (she said) be sofond of me, that she despaired of ever seeing me more, but that sheconsoled herself as well as she could with the assurance that I shouldbe happy. I forgot to say, that Colonel O'Brien, in his letter to me,stated that he expected immediate orders to leave Cette, and take thecommand of some military post in the interior, or join the army, butwhich, he could not tell; that they had packed up everything, and he wasafraid that our correspondence must cease, as he could not state to whatplace we should direct our letters. I could not help thinking at thetime, that it was a delicate way of pointing out to us that it was notright that he should correspond with us in our relative situations; butstill, I was sure that he was about to leave Cette, for he never wouldhave made use of a subterfuge. I must here acquaint the reader with acircumstance which I forgot to mention, which was that when CaptainSavage sent in a flag of truce with our clothes and money, I thoughtthat it was but justice to O'Brien that they should know on board of thefrigate the gallant manner in which he had behaved. I knew that he wouldnever tell himself, so, ill as I was at the time, I sent for ColonelO'Brien, and requested him to write down my statement of the affair, inwhich I mentioned how O'Brien had spiked the last gun, and had beentaken prisoner by so doing, together with his attempting to save me.When the colonel had written all down, I requested that he would sendfor the major, who first entered the fort with the troops, and translateit to him in French. This he did in my presence, and the major declaredevery word to be true. "Will he attest it, colonel, as it may be ofgreat service to O'Brien?" The major immediately assented. ColonelO'Brien then enclosed my letter, with a short note from himself, toCaptain Savage, paying him a compliment, and assuring him that hisgallant young officers should be treated with every attention, and allthe kindness which the rules of war would admit of. O'Brien never knewthat I had sent that letter, as the colonel, at my request, kept thesecret.
In ten days we received an order to march on the following morning. Thesailors, among whom was our poor friend the midshipman of the Snappercutter, were ordered to Verdun; O'Brien and I, with eight masters ofmerchant vessels, who joined us at Montpelier, were directed by theGovernment to be sent to Givet, a fortified town in the department ofArdennes. But, at the same time, orders arrived from Government to treatthe prisoners with great strictness, and not to allow any parole; thereason of this, we were informed, was that accounts had been sent toGovernment of the death of the French officer in the duel with O'Brien,and they had expressed their dissatisfaction at its having beenpermitted. Indeed, I very much doubt whether it would have beenpermitted in our country, but the French officers are almostromantically chivalrous in their ideas of honour; in fact, as enemies, Ihave always considered them as worthy antagonists to the English, andthey appear more respectable in themselves, and more demanding ourgoodwill in that situation, than they do when we meet them as friends,and are acquainted with the other points of their character, whichlessen them in our estimation.
I shall not dwell upon a march of three weeks, during which wealternately received kind or unhandsome treatment, according to thedispositions of those who had us in charge; but I must observe, that itwas invariably the case, that officers who were gentlemen by birthtreated us with consideration, while those who had sprung from nothingduring the Revolution, were harsh, and sometimes even brutal. It wasexactly four months from the time of our capture that we arrived at ourdestined prison at Givet.
"Peter," said O'Brien, as he looked hastily at the fortifications, andthe river which divided the two towns, "I see no reason, either Englishor French, that we should not eat our Christmas dinner in England. I'vea bird's eye view of the outside, and now, have only to find outwhere-abouts we may be in the inside."
I must say that, when I looked at the ditches and high ramparts, I had adifferent opinion; so had a gendarme who was walking by our side, andwho had observed O'Brien's scrutiny, and who quietly said to him inFrench, "_Vous le croyez possible!_"
"Everything is possible to a brave man--the French armies have provedthat," answered O'Brien.
"You are right," replied the gendarme, pleased with the compliment tohis nation; "I wish you success, you will deserve it; but--" and heshook his head.
"If I could but obtain a plan of the fortress," said O'Brien, "I wouldgive five Napoleons for one," and he looked at the gendarme.
"I cannot see any objection to an officer, although a prisoner, studyingfortification," replied the gendarme. "In two hours you will be withinthe walls; and now I recollect, in the map of the two towns, thefortress is laid down sufficiently accurately to give you an idea of it.But we have conversed too long." So saying, the gendarme dropped intothe rear.
In a quarter of an hour, we arrived at the Place d'Armes, where we weremet, as usual, by another detachment of troops, and drummers, whoparaded us through the town previous to our being drawn up before thegovernor's house. This, I ought to have observed, was, by order ofGovernment, done at every town we passed through; it was verycontemptible, but prisoners were so scarce, that they made all thedisplay of us that they could. As we stopped at the governor's house,the gendarme, who had left us in the square, made a sign to O'Brien, asmuch as to say, I have it. O'Brien took out five Napoleons, which hewrapped in paper, and held in his hand. In a minute or two, the gendarmecame up and presented O'Brien with an old silk handkerchief, saying,"_Votre mouchoir, monsieur_."
"_Merci,"_ replied O'Brien, putting the handkerchief which contained themap into his pocket, "_voici a boire, mon ami_;" and he slipped thepaper with the five Napoleons into the hand of the gendarme, whoimmediately retreated.
This was very fortunate for us, as we afterwards discovered that a markhad been put against O'Brien's and my name, not to allow parole orpermission to leave the fortress, even under surveillance. Indeed, evenif it had not been so, we never should have obtained it, as thelieutenant killed by O'Brien was nearly related to the commandant of thefortress, who was as much a _mauvais sujet_ as his kinsman. Havingwaited the usual hour before the governor's house, to answer to ourmuster-roll, and to be stared at, we were dismissed; and in a fewminutes, found ourselves shut up in one of the strongest fortresses inFrance.