Ardnish Was Home by Angus MacDonald

Author:Angus MacDonald
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Birlinn

Chapter 8

WAR

Up at dawn. It is very quiet outside. The shelling in the distance has stopped. Hopefully, this means our lads have got off the beaches and are safely on the ships and heading home. John had told us that General Stopford, the overall commander, had been sacked and replaced. One of the worst campaigns in military history, he said. Certainly tens of thousands of dead men – and no ground won.

As we drink our coffee we discuss John; we all agree what a charming man he is.

‘If I wasn’t going to live in the Highlands I’d go to South Island,’ I say. ‘God’s country, I hear. You can get good farm land for buttons, and Scots are welcomed with open arms.’

Prissie packs for each of us: a blanket twisted around some clothing, and as much food as we can carry. Louise conceals the pistol in her clothing. We are dressed in the drab peasant clothing of our absent hosts. Louise and Prissie wear shawls over their heads, trying to look like the old grandmothers from home. I am as strong as I have been for a month, but can only really move at half the pace of a normal man. How am I going to make it?

We say emotional farewells to Father Joseph, silently willing him to slip away before the Turks come. He is gracious, holding our hands and whispering a prayer to St Christopher, the patron saint of travellers.

‘Thank you,’ I whisper.

God, we will need it.

*

The plan is to head away from the battle lines and stick to the coastline. We reckon we have about twenty miles to go before we come to any towns or proper roads. Hopefully, our route won’t be on the Turkish troops’ supply lines. Talk is of the clear skies and sunshine. Hard crisp snow lies underfoot, perfect for making progress but bad for making our dark bodies distinct against the glaring white. It isn’t too bad at first, but as I begin to tire, I catch a foot and fall awkwardly several times. And despite the bitter cold, I am in a terrible sweat which chills me to the bone whenever we stop moving.

We stick to the bottom of the glen, on a goat path through thick brush, which at least gives us some cover, though every twig that snaps under our feet makes us pause and listen.

After what seems an age, probably only an hour or so, Louise spots a hut and we rest. My legs are shaking violently, and I feel feverish. I sense Louise is worried about me. But we have to get some real distance between us and the front line; if the battle has really finished, there might be troops withdrawing our way.

We stay in the hut until late afternoon. I try to sleep a little. Then we are off again, to try and cover more ground. After a while the moon comes out, and it is a great help to me, as I stumble along, desperately hoping for another building to give us shelter for the night.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.