09 The Road to France (Napoleonic Horseman #9) by Griff Hosker

Author:Griff Hosker [Hosker, Griff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798695930276
Google: 2dT7zQEACAAJ
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: 2019-12-31T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Sharp found us in the middle of the night and, as it happened, I was on watch. He was relieved and more than a little irritated, “Sir, thank God you are alive! You had Sir Arthur and me really worried. What were you thinking, sir?”

I smiled in the darkness, “And I am pleased to see you too. I was just following orders. Did you pass the carriage we took?”

“Yes, sir, that was how we knew where you were. Lord Wellington is not a happy man, sir! You and these lads are out on a limb. The rest of the army is spread out looting the wagons the French abandoned. Every side road and the main road from Vittoria is filled with them!”

“I know we passed them but at least the French are beaten.”

“Yes sir, but Sir Arthur is angry at how many have escaped. You are ordered back to Vittoria. Major Wilson can take command here until Colonel Grant arrives in the morning.”

“You mean leave now?”

“Yes, sir, those were the General’s orders.”

It was an hour until I was to wake Major Wilson and two hours until dawn. I felt guilty but I knew that I would have to obey the General and I reluctantly woke Major Wilson. “Sorry, Michael, but I have been ordered back. I would suggest that you and your men wait here until the General has decided our plan of attack.”

“Surely we pursue King Joseph. He must have gone to Pamplona. We know that Clausel is there!”

“Not necessarily. I still think that Bayonne will be crucial to the plans of Sir Arthur. Anyway, I shall have to return to Vittoria and discover them.”

Sharp gave me the full picture of our victory. General Graham had been tardy as had Dalhousie and Cole. Lord Wellington was displeased with them both. However, the looting by the rank and file had displeased him more and the generals would escape too much censure. It would take a whole day for the army to be reformed and rallied. Even Sharp, a sergeant, could see what the actions of the ordinary soldiers had cost us.

“Still, sir, it means that we have some divisions who have not lost a man and they can be used. I managed to get us another couple of horses. I suspect that Donna needs some rest.”

I nodded, “That she does. I shall use Albert and whatever other horse you have managed to get for us.”

We were passing the village of Santiago Eliza when we caught sight of a movement behind a burned-out house. Both of us were too experienced to ignore it and, drawing pistols, we headed towards it. It was a fox who was out too late, and we saw that he had found two corpses or what had appeared to be corpses. There were two French soldiers and one was a sergeant. Their muskets were not to be seen but each of them held a weapon, one a short sword and one a dagger. They had fought over something and killed each other.

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